Silence
by Reena Catheryn
Summary: Little Maggie Walsh was always silent. Cedric Diggory was the Golden Boy. She had always been there for him. And yet he had never known until her toes met the floor as his fingers met the ivory keys. A Cedric Love story! If you're a nice reader, I might not kill him off. Takes place in HPxGOF.
1. Chapter 1

Silence

She was always there, so why had he not seen her until now? He had seen her, he supposed. She was in his classes. But she never spoke. So he never heard. But she knew him. She knew him better than anyone else.

Cedric Diggory was many things. He was loved by his parents. He was popular. He was a good student. He followed rules. But Cedric Diggory had never been exceptionally observant. This he knew, and so he made up for it by trying to befriending some of the most observant and intelligent people he could. But his father had other plans. Cedric ended up being mates with some of the most ignorant and spoiled boys at Hogwarts. He was friends with Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws alike, but sometimes he felt more like a Gryffindor. He would never tell his father that.

Amos Diggory was proud of his son. Good grades at Hogwarts, surrounded by friends and praised by teachers; yes, Cedric Diggory was the 'it' boy. But what Amos failed to realize that Cedric only did these things and acted this way to please his father. Truly, he would rather be more of a musician. The piano was his passion, though he enjoyed many musical styles. He played secretly in the Room of Requirement, ever since he'd discovered it in his third year. He always remembered the day…

_With a sigh, he left the Hufflepuff common room. His friends were being idiots, as usual, and he had no desire to deal with their behavior. He wandered up to the third floor, and paced an empty corridor a few times, thinking about how much he desired a space to be alone and be himself. He was startled to look up and find a door where there most certainly hadn't been before. He glanced up and down the hallway quickly before dashing into the room, grateful for its presence. Inside he found a large room, lined with mirrors and horizontal, wooden bars. He blinked. It was a dance studio. Why would there be a dance studio here? For a moment, he thought he heard a small sneeze. He spun his head wildly, panicking that he was not alone. But after five silent minutes, he accepted that he was indeed alone in this strange room. _

_It was then that he noticed the black, grand piano sitting in the corner. Cedric had never played an instrument before, but as he observed the massive object, he found himself drawn to it. He sat down gingerly and placed his hands on the smooth, ivory keys. He pressed a few down, ever so lightly, as a strange, new warmth filled his entire body. A smile spread involuntarily on his face as he mimicked the few pianists he had seen in his lifetime. He winced as the sounds he produced became less than desirable. But before he left that day, he vowed to learn more and return. _

And Cedric had kept that promise. Four years later, in his seventh year, he was an excellent pianist. He was self taught and only played during the school year, because he was afraid of disappointing his father by admitting he did not want to be a Ministry employee when he graduated. Though the odd thing he noticed about the room was that eventually, the dance studio became smaller and smaller, as if the room was closing in on him. Finally, when there was just enough room to comfortably fit the piano and himself, the room stopped shrinking. Cedric didn't think much of it. At some point, he had asked Professor Dumbledore why the castle had been built with a dance studio. The Professor had been confused and agreed to meet him at the room. When he saw the door, Albus Dumbledore smiled.

"You are one of the lucky few, Mr. Diggory, to have discovered the Room of Requirement. It is a secret room that presents itself to anyone in need of it. It becomes whatever it needs to be. I stumbled across it once when I was in desperate need of a restroom and couldn't seem to find one," he explained. Cedric shook his head firmly.

"But sir," he interrupted. "I don't dance. I don't use the room to dance. I use it to play the piano," he blushed only slightly.

"Then perhaps, my dear boy, you are unknowingly sharing the space with someone else," he winked and walked back down the hall, leaving a very mystified and slightly spooked Cedric behind. He continued to listen quietly and search for a second person each time he entered the room, but all he ever caught was the sound of a small sob or a sharp intake of breath. Eventually he dismissed the thought, assuming the room must be host to a saddened and shy ghost.

But Cedric was wrong. He was sharing the room. In fact, he had invaded the room that had been used since his first year, by a quiet Ravenclaw. Magdalene Walsh had never been good at communicating with her peers, or people in general. She never spoke in class, and it even got to the point where most teachers believed her to be a mute. She was brilliant in her own silent way, but her lack of communication skills worried her parents from the very beginning. So they sent her off to ballet class at two years old, hoping to spark her interest and get her to form friendships. They were partially successful. Maggie, as most called her, became fascinated with anything and everything ballet. She had natural talent and soaked up knowledge and critique like a sponge.

When her parents had given her the letter from Hogwarts on her eleventh birthday, she had burst into tears. Confused, they had asked her what the problem was. She had somberly replied that she did not want to quit ballet for magic. They laughed and promised that she would not have to. And so on the second day of school, before classes had commenced, the young red-headed witch clutched her precious dance bag to her chest and began to wander the halls. It was that day that she had stumbled upon her own private dance studio: The Room of Requirement. For three years, she had the room all to herself. Each day, she would dutifully practice her dancing for at least an hour, working on homework at the same time. She would charm her quill to write what she dictated as she danced around.

On a particularly challenging homework day during her third year, Maggie sat down in the corner of the room, near the portrait of Mikhail Baryshnikov. She needed to focus on her Astronomy assignment for just a few minutes. Suddenly, a male figure burst into the room and looked around. Maggie froze, thinking she would be in trouble for using the room. But she recognized the boy as a boy from her own class; a Hufflepuff named Cedric Diggory. How he found her room or why he was there, she could only speculate. She prayed for a way out and suddenly noticed the small gap between the portrait and the wall. She opened it and thankfully, the portrait was silent. As she settled herself into the small room behind the portrait, she sneezed from all the dust. The portrait worked like a one way mirror. She could see Cedric, but he could not see her. Smiling to herself, she began to work once more on her homework.

"Thank you, Room," she whispered quietly.

And so began her daily routine. She began to know a part of Cedric Diggory that no one else knew. Almost every day, especially days off, he would come into the room about an hour and a half before curfew and play for an hour. Maggie enjoyed his playing immensely. She enjoyed listening to him improve. And sometimes she liked to pretend that they were friends. Eventually, the room adjusted to the two sharing in private, her side room (behind the portrait) became larger and had more room to dance, with mirrors on three of the walls. The fourth wall remained a one-way window into the main room. And the room Cedric played in became smaller. Maggie danced as Cedric played. But only Maggie knew.

So in their seventh year, Maggie knew she had to do something, say something to him. It was their final year at Hogwarts and Maggie had already been invited to audition for several ballets in Europe, though she was hoping to star in an American ballet company. Her parents were divorced, and had been since she was twelve. Her father stayed in Ireland, where she was from, though her mother moved to New York. Maggie liked the thought of being a Prima Ballerina in the American Ballet Theatre. And she knew, from what she heard around school that Cedric would be working at the Ministry of Magic. She was about to lose her only friend, and he didn't even know she existed.

"Cedric! Nice to see you mate, how was your holiday?" James, one of his closest classmates, clapped him on the back and sat next to him in the compartment.

"It was fine, and yours?" Cedric replied politely. In reality, his holiday had NOT been fine. He had tried to bring the subject of music up to his father, who had not taken it well. He had been grounded the majority of the summer for even trying to 'destroy' the plan. The only time his father had lightened up was when they attended the Quidditch World Cup, purely so that he could brag about Cedric to the Weasley family and anyone else who would listen. Cedric was annoyed at his father's behavior. And the Quidditch World Cup, though he got to briefly meet Harry Potter, was a disaster in its own. He was horrified at the treatment of the muggles, but he wouldn't say anything. It was not his place. Let Harry Potter or Arthur Weasley stand for the muggles. Cedric knew he was a Hufflepuff because of his lack of bravery to stand for what he thought was wrong. And he had accepted that.

"Alright, I suppose. Broke it off with Kelly, though. Turns out, she was horrible at snogging," he sneered in disgust and kept chattering away until a few other boys clamored into the compartment. They all exchanged generic greetings and began chatting wildly to each other about their final year at Hogwarts.

A small cough interrupted their chatter as they all looked up into a pair of deep green eyes, the color of emeralds. Suddenly, Magdalene lost all her courage. Her already pink face blushed violently red and her red curls bounced as she ran away. She had almost spoken to him, until he had given her that look of utter confusion. She scolded herself mentally for even trying before finding an empty compartment to sit in. She had nowhere else to go.

"Mental that one is," a fellow Hufflepuff named Henry chimed in.

"I'm sorry?" Cedric choked on his water.

"Magdalene Walsh. We've been in classes with her since first year and she's never spoken a word. Ever. I heard she's mute," James shrugged.

"I think she's just full of herself," Henry snorted.

"I think she's hot," Greg grinned.

"That's disgusting, Greg. You can't like a mental girl," James retorted. Cedric rolled his eyes and got up, muttering something about his Prefect duties.

"What's got his panties in a twist?" Henry glared at Cedric's retreating form.

Cedric ignored him and continued to the Prefects car, where he collected his new badge and met with the other Prefects for a quick meeting. He was assigned to the back of the train, making sure everyone was in compliance and reminding people to dress for the banquet. He started at the very back, running across Potter and his friends. He smiled politely, doing his job and moving on. In the very first compartment of the last car, he saw a bundle of robes, shaking lightly and facing the windows. Concerned, he let himself in the car. A face popped up out of the black robes, alarmed.

"Are you alright, miss?" he asked, sitting down across from her as he slid the door shut. The emerald eyes widened in return, as her mouth formed a perfect "o". He recognized the vibrant red hair and green eyes. This was the girl that had just approached their compartment. What had her name been? Magdalene. That was it.

"Magdalene?" he asked with a gentle smile. She nodded slightly, paralyzed with fear. "Do you mind if I sit here?" he gestured to the seat he had already taken. He could see very plainly that she wasn't going to speak. Whether or not she could, he didn't know, but he wanted to offer her comfort the only way he knew how: with kindness and companionship.

Ever-so-slowly, she shook her head and he sighed pleasantly, relaxing. His prefect duties were over with anyhow and he did not feel like returning to his friends. The ride was silent, but in a comfortable way. Maggie read a book as Cedric simply stared out the window or dozed off. Finally, nearing the end of the journey, Maggie looked up. Cedric smiled in return. He peaked at her book: _Ballet through the Years_.

"Ballet, huh?" he grinned, thinking immediately of the dance studio but not making any connections. "I bet you make a wicked dancer," he commented. She blushed violently, though he did not miss the sparkle in her eyes at the mention of ballet. The train came to a stop.

"Well, I better go get my things. Maybe I'll see you at the Welcome Back Feast… or in class, who knows?" he gave a slight wave as he stood to leave. Realizing it was now or never, Maggie placed a small hand on his shoulder. She searched for words as he turned expectantly. She didn't use them often, but she wanted to use them right.

"Why?" she choked out. She did a mental face-palm. She was sure he wouldn't even understand what she meant; not to mention he would think she was an idiot. But Cedric surprised her. He smiled and shrugged.

"Why not?"

**Author's Note: So…long time no see, huh? I bet you guys all think I'm crazy. I update randomly and I always promise consistency and it never happens. No false promises anymore. The truth is, I almost always get bored with my story ideas shortly after I start them. Anyway, I've made a promise that I am not going to turn anymore story ideas down. From now on, I will write a first chapter for every idea that comes into my head. **

**This is my first, only HP fanfic and I decided Cedric didn't deserve to die. So I'm saving him. I hope you like the idea of it. And whatever new stories you guys really like and want to see continued, you HAVE to review to tell me! Or I won't know what you guys want to hear…**

**Alright, goodbye now!  
>Reena<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Cedric Diggory had spoken to her. He had sat through almost the entire Hogwarts Express ride with her. And he had even mentioned speaking to her again! Maggie didn't know what to do with herself as she sat in a carriage with a few other Ravenclaws, headed for the Welcome Feast. For the first time in her seven years at Hogwarts, she was excited to be there. Training to be a witch was something her parents had insisted she do. She'd rather be taking ballet lessons with other girls that shared her passions. There, her silence wouldn't be taken as insolence or haughtiness. There, girls would understand her determination because they all felt it as well. But she wanted to please her parents, and studying at Hogwarts wasn't difficult for her. She had been born naturally intelligent, but she had forced a gracefulness and disciplined mindset upon herself for dance. The qualities combined made her the ideal Ravenclaw. She knew that. She spoke to no one in her house, though she always shared a kind smile with Cho Chang. Something about the girl had always been welcoming.

That was, of course, until the previous year. Cho had begun to develop a small crush on Cedric. She ranted on about it to her other friends, all of them assuming Maggie could not spread anything around. For some reason, this made Magdalene extremely jealous. It took the entire year for her to reason that she had no claim on Cedric, nor did she have a right to keep him from other girls. She was not the girl from him. Nor did he even know that she existed. But all that changed when he had offered her his friendship. Cedric Diggory wanted to be her friend.

As she exited the carriage and entered the castle, Maggie smiled to herself and searched for the head of brown hair she longed to see. She found him after several minutes, sitting at the Hufflepuff table surrounded by a group of friends. He waved lightly before continuing his conversation. Maggie found herself a seat spread a little ways away from others and began quietly picking at a plate. She'd never been much of an eater. She was a short, slim girl with not much to speak of in the woman department, but that's how she liked it. Because her tutus fit perfectly and if she ever got the chance to partner, she would be easily lifted.

"Hello Magdalene," Cho smiled politely, sitting next to her before she continued chatting with her other friends. Maggie smiled, though she secretly wished she could tell the girl off.

Truth be told, Maggie was still insanely jealous of her. She was pretty, smart, rich and she had everything Cedric would look for in a girl. She would date Cedric while Maggie stood in the shadows. And she couldn't even tell the girl to back off. Whenever Maggie tried to speak to anyone except Cedric, the words just didn't come. She was silent.

From the other side of the hall, Cedric tried to engage himself in conversation with his mates, but he was catching every moment he could to glance at Magdalene Walsh. Her red curls were bouncing each time she moved. Her green eyes darted around, calmly observing. But her small, pink lips did not move. Once, when Cho Chang sat down, they moved into a smile. But the fierce emerald orbs did not match the pink lips. Her eyes conveyed a fiery emotion for a full minute before they calmed and Magdalene turned away from Cho.

Cedric couldn't quite decide how he felt about Cho. He knew very well that she was trying to pursue him. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to accept her affections or not. True, she was a beautiful and perfectly respectable girl. And his father would be thrilled at the relationship, because Cho's family was well known in society. But try as he might, Cedric couldn't find a spark in himself when the two spoke. Now Magdalene, she was different. He'd never heard of her parents before. He'd hardly known of the girl until this year. His father would definitely not approve. But when they sat in comfortable silence, or exchanged a smile from across the room, Cedric was enthralled. He felt every movement and every unspoken emotion was clear to him. In her silence, she communicated the world to him. He felt as though, she was trying to tell him that she accepted him for whoever he was.

That thought struck Cedric as rather odd. A sudden feeling of dread filled his stomach and he pushed his plate away, his mates oblivious of his sudden discomfort. What if someone knew what he did in the Room of Requirement, and they had told her. His secret might be safe with the girl who had only spoken one word, but would it be safe with the one that had told her? Unless, she was the one who knew. But he had never seen her around the Room of Requirement, nor could she know what he did inside it. For Cedric was sure he was absolutely alone in the room. Perhaps he was overreacting.

Cedric and Magdalene's thoughts were interrupted as Professor Albus Dumbledore took his place at the podium. He gave his traditional speech, except at the very end he made a special announcement. Hogwarts would be hosting two other Magical European schools for a Triwizard Tournament. The only words that stuck out to Maggie were: danger and death. But she watched as the boys surrounding her only friend punched him in the shoulder and whispered things in his ear. What Cedric heard was: eternal glory and pride. The two things that made his father happiness. Perhaps, if he followed his friends' advice and joined the tournament, he could make his father proud enough to allow Cedric to attend a muggle university for music. Or even to be a musician.

As Maggie watched the thoughts race past Cedric's eyes—she had observed him long enough to read his facial expressions accurately—her own face twisted with worry. Cedric. Danger. Death. The words circled around her head, making her sick to stomach. Without a word, which was completely normal for Maggie, she darted from the hall and to the staircase.

Cedric excused himself to the boys dormitory in the Hufflepuff common room early when he saw the short redhead leave the Great Hall. He wanted to wish her a good night before she disappeared to Ravenclaw tower, and he had noticed a certain look of distress on the young girls face before she so quickly left. No one else turned to watch her go. The red curls were bouncing as Magdalene darted up the stairs.

"Magdalene!" he called, racing to catch up with her.

Maggie's feet stopped, though her mind and stomach told her to keep running. She refused to turn around, for fear of being sick in front of _him_. But soon she felt a cool hand on her shoulder and the gentle brown eyes found her own as she turned to face him.

"Hey, do you feel alright? You seem kind of warm," he murmured in a concerned tone. It was all she could do to turn away from him before she was sick all over the floor. What had brought that on? Had it really just been her worry for Cedric entering the tournament? _A little intense Maggie._ She scoffed at herself mentally. But she couldn't force her mouth to form any real words for Cedric. He simply snaked his arm around her waist and led her in the direction of the Hospital Wing. He murmured comforting things, but did not judge her for completely humiliating herself in front of him. Her cheeks burned red from embarrassment, though Cedric mistook it for a fever and walked faster, picking her up completely to avoid making her even sicker.

He did not look down at the quiet girl in his arms, but a small part of him was beaming that he was the one to assist her when she needed someone. He puzzled at the attachment he seemed to have toward Magdalene. He had only just met the girl, and yet (though she seemed so uncomfortable around others) she acted as though they had known each other for many years.

"Madame Pomfrey," Cedric called as they entered the Hospital Wing. Maggie hopped down, sending him a reassuring glance and wondering why she'd let herself be brought to the infirmary in the first place.

"Mr. Diggory, what is this? Oh Ms. Walsh," Madame Pomfrey came out from her office, looking frazzled as she easily recognized one of her favorite students. In the beginning of her time at Hogwarts, Maggie had been sent to Madame Pomfrey many times. Her teachers and other classmates worried that she could not speak and they tried to help with medicine. After the fifth time, Maggie had quietly confessed that she simply did not know what to say. She was a quiet girl who didn't cause problems or waste resources. She had seen Madame Pomfrey many times after that, for reoccurring dancer injuries and she had chosen to create a carefully guarded bond with the older woman.

Madame Pomfrey was not a woman of favorites. She usually only saw sick or injured children who sometimes gave their thanks and sometimes did not. But Magdalene Walsh, or Maggie as she secretly called herself, was not one of those children. She came when she needed something simple, like an icing charm or a bone strengthening potion. As she grew older, she became capable of performing these things herself, but she always came to the Hospital Wing. When she came, she did not demand attention right away or even cause much fuss. She simply waited until Madame Pomfrey was not busy and then she would sit in a corner, and pleasantly ask Madame how her day had been. Not many people stopped to ask Poppy how she was anymore. But little Maggie Walsh did. It was something Poppy had always, and would always appreciate. Maggie shared parts of herself with Madame Pomfrey that she had shared with no one else. And she was genuinely interested in what Madame Pomfrey shared with her. So Poppy knew that she must keep Maggie's ability to talk, to herself. If the child wanted to include someone in her words, she would.

That is why, when Cedric Diggory (whom she only ever saw for Quidditch injuries) brought the little redhead in, Poppy Pomfrey smiled a mischievous smile. She saw the sparkle in Maggie's eye and the warmth in Cedric's smile. She nodded and gestured to a bed.

"Well, well Maggie," she chuckled. "Sick? Shins? Achilles Tendons? Toes?" she guessed.

"Sick, all over the stairs," Cedric said in hushed tone. Though the use of the nickname had not slipped his notice.

"Ah, this should do it then," Madame Pomfrey left and in just a few minutes, came back with a clear potion. Maggie sighed. Though she enjoyed the nurse's presence, she couldn't stand medicine. But she drank it gratefully and watched as Madame Pomfrey left with a satisfied nod and a wink in Maggie's direction.

"Thank you," she whispered to Cedric.

"Nothing you wouldn't do for me," Cedric grinned. "So, do you prefer being called Magdalene? Or Maggie?" he tried to strike up a conversation with the girl of so few words.

"Maggie," she confirmed with a look that said 'Magdalene' was not a name she enjoyed.

"It was nice seeing you Maggie, I'll get in trouble if I stay around though so I hope you feel better," he stood, deciding not to push their encounters too far, fearing she would push away.

Maggie nodded, unwilling to find more words.

"I hope we have classes together!"

Maggie hoped so too. She also hoped she would have the courage to leave her secret spot behind the painting.

"Ms. Magdalene Walsh," Madame Pomfrey reappeared and took a spot in a chair next to the bed Maggie sat on. "Someone has been awfully talkative," she tapped the teenager on the nose.

"Poppy," Maggie smiled. It was a closely guarded secret that Maggie was allowed to call Madame Pomfrey by her first name. Almost as closely guarded that Madame Pomfrey was allowed to exchange words with Maggie. "He is wonderful," she said simply.

"So I see," Poppy's eyebrows raised as she observed the lovestruck girl. She had always suspected that Maggie had an infatuation with young Cedric. Whenever the two had been in the hospital wing at the same time (surprisingly, more often than you'd think), she seemed to daze off and forget the conversation she had been having.

"He speaks to me as though I'm no different than anyone else," Maggie confessed.

"You aren't," Poppy said firmly.

"But I am, everyone calls me 'the mute'" she sighed in reply.

"And that, is by your own choice. Because your dancing speaks louder than any one word," though Poppy had never seen the child dance, she had seen the sparkle in her eyes whenever she talked about it. And she had treated every injury that a dancer could possibly get. Some had been more serious than others and she worried about Maggie, but she soon realized that her worries were wasted. Maggie did not stop dancing for any pain. She continued to dance through any injury, even when told to rest.

That determination and passion reminded Poppy of a time when she was younger, and no matter how much her mother begged her to go out and play with other children, she could not leave her younger siblings. She cared for them when they were sick or crying. And if none of her siblings were hurt, than here dolls were. They needed constant care. Even when Poppy Pomfrey was lying in bed with an atrocious cold, she was secretly caring for her pet rabbit, who also had a bit of a runny nose.

Madame Pomfrey enjoyed the warmth she felt when she helped someone else feel better. It healed her to heal others. She felt the same happiness when helping that Maggie felt when dancing.

"Now, why were you really sick?" Poppy eyed the girl suspiciously as she yawned.

"I don't know, really. I was listening to Professor Dumbledore's words and then I saw Cedric and I got so worried that he would join that blasted tournament and that he would be hurt or…killed," she gulped, real fear in her eyes.

"Such feelings for a boy you hardly know are dangerous, Magdalene," Poppy warned in a low voice.

"But I know him so well, Poppy! He just doesn't know that," Maggie pleaded for acceptance from the one person at Hogwarts she fully trusted. Poppy sighed with a knowing smile.

"Oh Maggie, one day you will wake up and realize how silly you are being and how simple it is to talk to others," she patted the girls head before sending her off to bed in her common room.

Maggie mulled through her jumbled thoughts as she climbed the tower to the Ravenclaw common room, sending a tired smile to the ghost of Ravenclaw tower, Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, who rarely ever spoke or appeared to anyone except a few choice Ravenclaws. She answered the new riddle easily and trudged up the seven flights of stairs before joining the chatting and hyper girls of her class.

"Magdalene! Did you hear? Victor Krum is coming to the Tournament!" gushed one of Cho's friends, Amy. Maggie nodded quietly and sat on her bed, participating in the conversation with silent nods and smiles. The girls chatted into the early hours of the morning before they decided it was time to sleep and crawled into their four poster beds.

But sleep did not come to Maggie. Her mind was racing, not with the thought of being sick or the thrill of Victor Krum, but with the pure joy and hope that she could actually be friends with Cedric Diggory.

**Author's Note: a short chapter, I know. But I think it has a proper ending. The next chapter will contain a time lapse of a few weeks to get the Cedric/Maggie thing really moving. Hope you are enjoying it **


	3. Chapter 3

A week into term, Cedric found himself visiting the Room of Requirement daily, which was more often then he'd ever visited. Part of him was simply drawn there, as if he was about to discover some secret he'd never known. A greater majority of him simply went to the room to escape the growing annoyances his 'mates' posed. They were urging and urging him about the tournament. They badgered him every second they could, no matter how many times he told them he hadn't decided. And if that wasn't bad enough, his father had heard of it somehow and was writing him letters about how excited he would be when Cedric was selected as Hogwarts' Champion.

With each word about the tournament, Cedric wanted only to shout at everyone and profess his love for music to the entire world. He wanted to make it clear that he had no interest in being Hogwarts' Champion. All he wanted was to share his talent with his father, and to find friends that would accept that part of him. And he knew exactly who that was. Magdalene Walsh. Every chance he could, he sat with her in comfortable silence and complimented her nicely or tried to get her to speak. But his efforts were in vain because if even one other person was in sight, the redhead's lips stayed locked. If he caught up with her in a deserted hallway or waited at the base of the Ravenclaw tower (no, he wasn't stalking) she would utter a few nice words until others appeared.

To pound out his frustration and contemplate his growing feelings for Maggie, Cedric chose an incredibly challenging piano piece and decided to work on it daily. But he couldn't focus on the demanding piece he'd chosen to conquer. Each time he entered the room, he noticed that it expanded in size. Professor Dumbledore had said it became what it needed to be. Was the room expanding for someone's entrance? The room was returning to its original state as a dance studio. Dance…the first time he realized the connection was on the second Tuesday of term. A little over a week since he'd met Maggie on the train and noticed her book. The dance room couldn't be for Maggie, could it? But then, where else would she dance at Hogwarts? Cedric knew that just as musicians had to practice daily, dancers must keep their technique by dancing every day.

And as soon as his mind drifted towards Maggie, all thoughts of playing Beethoven were out of his head. Almost instantly, his fingers began to press keys gently in a melody he had never heard before. Confused, Cedric looked down at his hands, which seemed to be moving on their own accord. It took him a few minutes to realize that he was composing.

"Blimey!" he murmured, joyfully conjuring some blank music paper and quickly enchanting the notes he played to appear on the page. The piece was sweet and pure, and when he played it, he played it with suspense and longing.

As Cedric composed his song for Magdalene, the young redhead sat on the couch in her room behind the painting. She knew her room had been growing smaller and she hadn't been able to properly practice dancing since term had resumed. She was frustrated with the room, which seemed to be pushing her into revealing herself to Cedric. She was angrily writing a Potions Essay for that horrid professor Snape when the music reached her ears. It was perfect dancing music! Unlike anything she'd ever heard before, it was lovely and full of emotion. She looked up with curiosity as the notes poured onto Cedric's blank paper. So it was a Cedric Diggory original.

She was unable to stop herself as her feet tapped along and the words of her essay flitted out of her mind. She smiled to herself, standing and carefully marking some ballet movements that would fit the music. There was no room to dance, though and her body and her heart were urging her to do so. She bit her lip, unable to decide what was right. But as Cedric became so obsessed in his music that he looked only at the keys of the piano, she made a daring decision—something very rare for Magdalene Walsh. She slipped through the portrait, already dressed in her traditional dancing clothes and began to dance the movements she had marked fully. Cedric didn't look up as Maggie leapt and twirled lightly, her feet almost making no sound because she landed with such grace and air.

It wasn't until the song was finished that his brown eyes looked up to meet a pair of terrified emerald eyes. But he smiled warmly, afraid of scaring her away since she looked absolutely mortified.

"I'm so sorry," she finally broke the silence with a terrified cry before turning to run back to the portrait on the wall. Cedric had always wondered why that portrait was there.

"No, Maggie! Please don't go," he stood, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and pleading with his eyes as much as he possibly could.

"Cedric, I'm sorry," she whispered, turning to the boy who had unknowingly taken her heart. "I should have said something. I shouldn't have been just watching you…"

"It's not a problem. We're friends right?" he gave her another warm smile and her eyes lit up, though her face was still twisted with concern.

"You think of me as a friend?" she finally smiled.

"Of course I do," Cedric nodded and conjured a chair for her to sit on, opposite his piano bench. She giggled as she transfigured his chair into an odd looking, black blob on the floor. He was about to question her before she plopped down on it with a small, content sigh.

"It's a beanbag chair. They're popular in American muggle culture. My father had one in his apartment and I fell in love with it. It's so incredibly comfortable," she gushed in her high-pitched, girlish voice. Cedric looked at the object with interest before attempting to conjure himself one as well. It worked, though his came out in an odd mix of colors since he couldn't quite decide what color he'd like it. He sat and chuckled along with Maggie.

"Comfortable indeed," he agreed.

"Cedric," Maggie bit her lip, serious once more, "I've not been honest with you," she confessed in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Magdalene," Cedric took up the same tone as the shy girl sitting opposite him, "I've not been honest with any of my friends since third year, when I started coming here and playing music," he told her. He was trying to assure her that he was not offended, but she seemed frazzled still.

"You don't understand," she shook her head, eyebrows knitted in frustration. "I've been using this room every day since the first day of term during first year. The first day you came here, I slipped behind the portrait and discovered a separate room. I was terrified of people. I am terrified of people. But I recognized you and I was interested in your music. Then when I realized that you were hiding that part of you, I just… I wanted so bad to tell you, Cedric, that your music is the most wonderful part of you!" she prattled hopelessly as the handsome boys face remained calm, but shocked.

"I should have said something to you the very first day. But I couldn't find the words. I can never find words when I need them," she sighed sadly. "And when the room began expanding, well I used your music to dance to whenever you came. I felt as though I knew a part of you that nobody else knew. So many times I tried to speak to you. I began to approach you dozens of times, but I always lost my nerve. You didn't see me and you could never know me the way I knew you. Because I could never work up the courage to even say hello," she bit her lip nervously, praying he would take her words the correct way. She had no clue if she was using them right, as this was the most she'd ever said to anyone besides Poppy.

"I wish you would have told me," Cedric admitted quietly, watching as Maggie's face fell with disappointment. "But not for the reasons you think I wish. I wish you would have told me sooner so that I could have seen your beautiful dancing and so that I could have known you longer," he smiled to the young girl whose face projected a mixture of confusion and pure elation.

"I'm so sorry for that too! But I promise, I will make it up every second I can. Cedric, I want you to know me the way I know you," she professed passionately before turning bright red and hiding behind her hands. What had led her to say that?

"Then I suppose we'll simply have to spend every possible second together that we can," he grinned, standing and helping Maggie up after him. With an elaborate wave of his wand, he made both beanbag chairs disappear as he sat down at the piano. Maggie understood what he wanted immediately.

And then she danced. She danced like she had never danced before. Her leaps were higher, her moves more fluent. Her turns had power and grace. Her releve was full of ease. And the emotion poured through her dancing in a way it never had. She had always prided herself on her passionate dancing, but suddenly it was like everything she had ever felt had always been hidden behind a gate and now it was released.

And he played. He played elaborately, his hands traveling up and down the ivory keys. He never missed a note or a beat. He watched as this girl who had stumbled into his life danced her heart out for him. The music he played described every little thing he felt toward her: the girl who had always been there, waiting for him. How had he been so stupid? How had he wasted these years insisting no one was there? She was right in front of him. She was his inspiration. She was his friend.

When they realized what time it was, they both hurried to gather their things without too many words shared between each other. Cedric could not be caught out after curfew, he was a Prefect! And Maggie couldn't bear the thought of breaking a rule. She was, after all, a studious Ravenclaw. They exchanged a smile outside the disappearing door to the Room of Requirement before going their separate ways and scurrying down the halls to reach their respective common rooms before curfew.

As Cedric climbed into the 'den' in the Hufflepuff Dormitories he smiled, all thoughts of the Tournament were out of his mind. When he was with Magdalene, he felt free to be himself. He felt confident in his music and he was free to dream of the future he wanted. He didn't have to pretend that he was Mr. All-Around-Perfect. He wasn't Amos Diggory's trophy and he wasn't Hogwarts number one candidate for the tournament. He was Cedric: pianist and musician extraordinaire. When Cedric finally fell asleep, a million possible futures flashed through his head and each of them had something in common: music and Magdalene.

Likewise as Maggie ascended the stairs in the Ravenclaw tower up to the seventh floor dormitories she couldn't stop smiling. Thoughts were whizzing through her head an alarming speed and they all seemed to revolve around Cedric. Her dreams were full of his laugh, his smile and his music. His lovely brown eyes and his lush hair stirred feelings of love in Maggie that she wasn't sure she should feel for a boy who would surely never be interested in her that way. Sure, he was her friend… he'd admitted that, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't choose someone like Cho Chang over her any day. Still, Maggie was on Cloud Nine and she couldn't stop the dreams from living out in her sleep all night.

Maggie awoke before any of the other girls in her dormitory and hurried to use the bathroom before anyone woke up and began fighting her for it. With a lazy flick of her wand, she was dressed and ready to leave. She grabbed her books and made her way quietly out to the common room. She glanced at the grandfather clock and noticed that breakfast had started so she left the common room and was utterly shocked to find Cedric Diggory waiting for her.

"Morning Maggie," he chimed happily as they fell into step toward the Great Hall.

"Hello Cedric," she smiled quietly since nobody else was awake and about this early.

"I was curious to know if you would like to join me for breakfast at the Hufflepuff table," he offered her an elbow and she took it with a nod, blushing violently. They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Cedric sighed pointedly.

"What is it?" Maggie asked, expectant but smiling.

"Do you like silence?" he asked teasingly.

"I don't mind it," she shrugged and he shook his head slightly. "Well, what do you prefer?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips. Cedric couldn't stop himself from admiring how adorable she looked when she was annoyed.

"We should talk! Come on Maggie," he took her hands off her hips and put one arm back around his. "Tell me things," he pleaded lightly. Maggie rolled her eyes and glanced out the window.

"It's raining," she stated blandly.

"Are we really talking about the weather?" Cedric groaned.

"Well what do people usually talk about?" she sighed, her cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. Cedric smirked slightly at the sight of her rosy blush before squeezing her arm in his comfortingly.

"They talk about common interests. Did you do well on Professor Snape's last essay?"

"Does anyone ever do well on Potion's essays? And plus, Cedric, I don't think that Professor Snape is a common interest," Maggie giggled and Cedric practically burst with pride. He had made her laugh.

"Then perhaps, Quidditch?" he suggested with raised eyebrows. A rosy blush appeared on the girl's face as she looked down at her shoes before answering.

"I only ever watch you play. If Hufflepuff isn't playing, I don't watch," she admitted to him. He seemed surprised, but delighted and she sighed with relief. He didn't think she was peculiar for watching him play.

"I'm glad someone enjoys my playing. Lately, my father only cares if I win," Cedric confessed with a sad, far-off look in his eyes. Maggie paused in her step, just outside the Great Hall.

"Cedric, don't let your father's opinion rule your life. Show him that you are truly happy when you play music. You can't use words to communicate that passion," she placed a small hand on his cheek and looked him firmly in the eyes. He gazed at her for a few moments before nodding quietly.

"You would know best," he chuckled and she stuck her tongue out at him in a moment of rare immaturity. But they had entered the presence of others and Maggie's lips were sealed for the rest of the day until the two stepped foot into their room.

Over the next few days, the halls were filled with whispers and rumours and pointed fingers. Had Cedric chosen that little, mute redhead over the beautiful and popular Cho Chang? How did the two get on so well when one never spoke a word? Cedric seemed awfully distant from his friends ever since he started walking around with that Ravenclaw. What was her name again? Oh yes, Magdalene. Little Magdalene, the ever-silent Ravenclaw. Many of the girls in her house stopped speaking to her. She had stolen the boy Cho wanted. Funny enough, Cho herself still acted kindly toward Maggie. Her friends, fake and vain as they were, were not as kind. They glared and started evil rumours about how Maggie did not speak because she felt she was better than everyone else. And when these rumours started to spread, Cedric's friends made a plan. They would stage an intervention. They couldn't lose their best mate to a snooty, puny little Ravenclaw.

**Author's Note: This is a short chapter, but I hope you enjoy it (: I'm having a lot of fun with this story. Please review!**

**Reena xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

"Cho you have to do something!" Amy whined. She considered herself Cho Chang's best friend and as best friend she wasn't about to allow Miserable Magdalene to have Cedric over Cho.

"Amy, I told you I'm interested in someone else now. Cedric and Magdalene can be together if they want," the girl replied stubbornly. In truth, she was disappointed that Cedric had not taken notice of her affections, but she saw the way they both smiled at each other. Though the two had not officially gone public or even become an item, it was clear to everyone that they were in awe of each other.

Amy grumbled, but dropped it. If Cho wasn't going to do anything about then she was. The rumors she had started, with the help of Micia and Christine, had done nothing to faze the pair. They were completely unreachable, in another world when they were together. So the problem was finding Magdalene alone. Cedric met her every morning for two weeks and walked her to each and every class (since they had most classes together anyway). They ate breakfast, lunch and supper together. And neither of them could ever be found after classes, other than supper. That was it then, it had to be done in the Ravenclaw Dormitory and Amy knew just when to do it too. She was going to bully Magdalene into giving Cedric up. It wasn't long until Amy had five other people in on her scheme.

Micia and Christine, fellow seventh year Ravenclaws agreed to help her corner Magdalene and intimidate her, though Micia was a little hesitant to be so mean to the quiet girl. Christine roped her boyfriend, Henry, into it who also convinced his mates James and Greg to assist in operation "Get Cho and Cedric Together". Henry, James, and Greg wanted their mate back and they believed the rumors that Magdalene was a horrible, snotty girl. They began their planning a week from that day… when the Champions would be announced so that Cedric could accept his championship with a beautiful Cho Chang on his arm.

"Cedric, you can't be serious," Maggie exclaimed as she sat up to look him in the eye. They were both strewn out on the dance floor, books and papers surrounding them as they tried to study for their numerous tests. Either of them would rather be dancing or singing, but seventh year was demanding their attention and they were both good students who strove for good grades.

"It's the only way to get my dad off my back, Mags," Cedric sighed, writing his name on yet another sheet of paper, this time for a Transfiguration essay.

"You could die!" Maggie insisted, but Cedric's nose was buried in his Transfiguration book. "Cedric!" Maggie scolded, throwing her pointe shoe at him.

"Ouch Maggie," he whined, rubbing his head. "This is an abusive relationship," he muttered teasingly. Maggie rolled her eyes and giggled in spite of herself. She sighed and scooted over to Cedric, placing her hands on his shoulders and bringing the solemn tone back to the conversation.

"Cedric, please," she whispered. "I'm scared for you," she looked down as he enveloped his arms around her.

"Magdalene Francis Walsh," he said softly, bringing her chin up to look into her large, watering eyes. "I swear to you that I will be careful. I would never put myself in danger if I wasn't absolutely confident that I could come back to you," he vowed. Maggie nodded her thanks and embraced him once more. The other schools would be arriving soon and Cedric would place his name in the Cup. Cedric had promised that as soon as he was chosen as Hogwarts Champion, he would tell his father about Magdalene. And as soon as he won the tournament, he would tell his father about his music career. It appeased Maggie, but Cedric knew it was all circumstantial. He couldn't bring himself to not be what his father wanted, not even for Maggie.

He really liked her. He cherished every moment he spent with her. Every smile and every sound emitted from her mouth was a memory that Cedric committed to memory with utter joy. They'd spent every waking moment with each other for two weeks. It didn't occur to Cedric that he was possibly moving too quickly with Magdalene. She seemed overjoyed and he was happy. He didn't regret any hug, any promise or any second. And for Maggie, well, she'd been waiting for this life, this friendship, this boy for four years. To the rest of the seventh years, Cedric was being brainwashed by the mental girl. To the rest of the school, with the exception of a few gossip-y sixth years, it was just another couple.

"We've got to get dressed," Maggie sighed, standing up and waving her wand to tidy their things. Cedric agreed and the two snuck out of their secret room and departed for their respective dormitories. Maggie noticed that the girls in her room quieted down when she entered the room, but she didn't put much weight into the thought until Cho cleared her throat and she looked up to catch Micia, Christine and Amy glaring at her ferociously. She knew why they were angry and why they were spreading horrible rumors about her, but it didn't really bother her. Cho didn't seem too displeased, so it was hardly as if she'd forced Cedric to break the girl's heart. Plus, in a few months Maggie would never have to see any of those girls again and she could spend her life with Cedric, doing what she loved. She glanced at the clock and quickly dressed in her formal robes, hat and all for the arrival of the guests.

The arrival of the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students was a spectacular sight to behold and each group of students entered the Great Hall in a display of wonderful talent. Hogwarts students were astounded. The boys drooled over the beautiful French girls and the girls swooned for Victor Krum. The Ravenclaws were joined by Durmstrang while the Hufflepuffs were joined by Beauxbaton. Maggie happened to be sitting at the end of table and soon a dozen gruff boys crowded around her personal space. Amy and her friends smiled and overly flirted with the boys while Maggie clapped politely and tried not to be offended at their close proximity. She listened as Professor Dumbledore thanked the Headmasters for bringing their students and introduced Mr. Barty Crouch, a Ministry official, to list the rules of the game. Barty Crouch was a very timid, stuttering man, but at last he made it through his explanation and the assembly was allowed to eat.

"Excuse me?" a rough, heavily-accented voice traveled to Maggie's ear. She turned and smiled politely at the Durmstrang boy who had addressed her.

"Could you pass that?" he asked, pointing to a plate of some type of food with a smile.

"She doesn't speak," Amy interrupted rudely, passing the plate of meat and batting her eyes at the boy who shrugged in return.

"I'm Viktor," he stuck his hand out and Maggie shook it with another timid smile. Across the room, Cedric watched the exchange. He carefully watched her lips, but they did not open. It wasn't that Cedric didn't want her to speak, but he wanted to be there when she finally opened to someone else. And quite frankly, he was jealous of Viktor who got to eat lunch with his Maggie.

"Ced, you're joining, right?" Greg elbowed Cedric, trying to distract him as he stared off toward the Ravenclaw table.

"Yeah," Cedric nodded and Henry clapped his back. Greg exchanged glanced with James who nodded inconspicuously.

"I bet Cho will find that attractive," James raised his eyebrows suggestively. Cedric frowned in return.

"I don't really care. Maggie doesn't like it much," he shrugged, keeping a careful eye on Maggie through his peripheral vision. The boy in the fur coat was still talking to her.

"So it's Maggie now, is it?" Henry chimed in, scoffing.

"Yeah it is," Cedric challenged hotly.

"Calm down, mate, he didn't mean any harm. We want to be Maggie's friend too, right boys?" Greg brought the conversation back to a calm level and James nodded quickly, not liking the angry tone that Cedric had taken on. He wasn't very defensive as a general rule. He wasn't really all that passionate about anything either. In the seven years they'd known him, he'd always been an incredibly good-natured, passive and fun guy to be around. This bloody girl was changing it.

"She's not just my friend," Cedric informed them with a somewhat distant air about him.

"Oh?" James sighed.

"Yeah, that's right. I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend tonight," Cedric sent a hard stare at Henry, who was definitely the biggest hot head of the group. He didn't usually start fights with his mates, since they all went and told their fathers who in turn told Amos, but he was looking for a reason to get them off his back. He hadn't planned on asking Maggie so early, but really, what was he waiting for?

"Are you sure you wanna do that, I mean, you just met the girl," Greg tried to convince Cedric, sending an honestly concerned look, but the murderous glare he got back from his friend was enough to send him running. "But you know, Christine says she's a really sweet girl," he rebounded as Cedric's face softened.

"She's more than that," Cedric agreed and the other three boys sighed inwardly, resigning to try another time.

Across the Hall, Viktor Krum took notice of two lovely young ladies sharing his table. Or rather, whose table he was sharing. One was the small redhead who smiled but didn't speak seated next to him. The other was a light-voiced girl with raven hair and an adorable smile. The latter was definitely a more mature type and a social butterfly, since she seemed to know everyone and everyone seemed to know her. The former spoke to no one, but seemed very kind and sweet in her own way. Of course either was a pretty piece of work and either would be a lovely girl to pursue. Viktor was good natured by birth, and he treated all girls with respect, but he was still a seventeen year old boy with…desires. The kiss of a young lady was a prize to be worked for and won in his mind and he intended to win at least one prize to tell his Mama about.

"May I trouble you again?" he asked and the little redhead looked at him expectantly.

"What is your name?" he asked, smiling in the way he knew swept girls off their feet. The girl blushed, but bit her lip, looking troubled.

"Her name's Magdalene, but she's awfully shy. She doesn't mean to be rude. Oh and I'm Cho," the raven hair girl chimed in and Viktor switched his attention to her. He liked her instantly, since she was one of the few girls who did not throw themselves at him, but instead introduced herself politely. While the two chatted, Maggie and Cedric's eyes met across the room and they both chose to leave dinner early. As soon as the door was shut behind them they released a breath.

"Pretending to be Golden boy must be such hard work," Maggie teased as they walked in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower.

"No harder than playing host to a famous professional Quidditch player," Cedric teased equally. Though he was jealous, he did not want to upset Maggie by showing he was distrustful of her affections toward him.

"Who?" Maggie asked, completely astonished at his remark.

"Viktor. His name is Viktor Krum, he's a Quidditch player for Bulgaria," Cedric laughed. It was so like Maggie to not know she'd just had dinner with a celebrity.

"Oh, I suppose he was nice," Maggie shrugged. "Honestly, I was much too busy listening," she gnawed on her lip once more. "Are you sure you have to do the Tournament?"

"Come on Mags, you have to see the advantages to this," Cedric insisted as they leaned on the wall in one of the deserted outdoor hallways that was occupied by Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter.

"Really Cedric, I don't see many," Maggie frowned. "You'll be in danger and much too busy to spend every moment in the Room of Requirement with me. I'll be lonesome and you'll have every female in Hogwarts drooling over you. What is so fantastic about that?" she pouted, glaring at the night sky and cursing any gods who gave her something amazing just to take it away in a few weeks.

"Well the girlfriend of a Champion you'll have a fantastic seat at all the tasks," he shrugged offhandedly and Maggie paused, turning slowly to face him. Her green eyes blinked slowly, twice and Cedric grinned, waiting for the reaction. A smile crept slowly onto her face.

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Cedric?" she clarified.

"If you'll have me," he nodded excitedly as her eyes lit up. He loved watching her when her eyes lit up. It made her whole form glow.

"Of course!" she squealed and threw herself into his open, waiting arms for a much needed hug. "There is almost nothing in the world that could make me happier," she breathed into his neck as he twirled her around.

"Almost?" he joked, knowing exactly what might be more important.

"Come on Cedric, you know as well as I do that if man walked up to you and asked you to play in the New York Philharmonic Symphony you would jump for joy like a little girl," she laughed as he set her down and they stared into each other's eyes once more.

"Why is everything in America for you?" Cedric asked honestly, not a hint of teasing or anger in his voice.

"I think it's fascinating. That's where you go if you want to pursue art. Plus, it's easier for us to get a career there. Most of the dancers and musicians in their famous companies are foreigners. Europe has the best teachers and America has the best directors," she shrugged.

"That is simply opinion, my dear," Cedric tapped her nose gently and Maggie rolled her eyes.

"Well if you shall not follow me across the pond after we graduate then I suppose I will have to find a job in drab old England," she giggled, intertwining her hand with his.

"Or travel back to your homeland of Ireland," Cedric offered. Maggie shrugged.

"With you, I'd go anywhere," she placed her head on his shoulder and he walked her to her dormitory, as curfew was drawing near.

"That's incredibly cheesy Maggie," Cedric pointed out as the rounded the corner and paused, not wanting to leave each other's presence.

"I like cheese," Maggie grinned, not giving up on her happy spirit. She couldn't stop smiling.

"So do I, but you know they don't have real cheese in America, right?"

"Give it up Cedric," Maggie groaned, smiling still. Cedric wasn't sure what to do next. He wanted to lean down and place a kiss on her lips, but she seemed hesitant to do that… scared of kissing him. It was a ridiculous thought, really, but he wanted to wait until he was absolutely sure she was ready so instead he kissed her forehead and squeezed her tiny frame in his arms. She seemed content with that and he was overjoyed that she'd accepted him. That was all he needed.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow," Cedric winked as he turned to leave.

"That I shall say goodnight till it be morrow," Maggie smiled softly.

"I didn't know the end of that quote," Cedric admitted and all he heard was Maggie's laughter as she entered her common room.

'To love' he thought, 'is definitely the world's greatest treasure'.

**Author's Note: This chapter is mostly fluffy with a bit of mischief thrown in :) I'm falling in love with Cedric, too bad he'll have to die. Or will he? You'll find out if you stick around! This is the first story I've actually planned out and it will be a 16 chapter story so if things are moving quickly, that's why! Please stay on! I'm so thrilled by all the positive response to this story. Love you guys!  
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**Reena xoxo**

**And really, none of the chapters I've written have been all that short, I just felt like they were. My average is 2500 words a chapter. Is that long enough for you guys or would you like longer? REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

The castle was buzzing with excitement. The week was almost over and so far, the Goblet had five names to choose from: two girls from Beauxbaton named Fleur Delacour and Mina Bordeaux, two Durmstrang boys named Viktor Krum and Pavel Baratoff, and Cedric Diggory. No other Hogwarts students had the desire to compete against Viktor Krum; he was idol to so many. Maggie was on pins and needles the entire week. She was so distracted that she couldn't perform a triple pirouette which was usually very simple for her. With her face contorted in determination, she tried again.

"Maggie, you're spinning your body on the tip of your toe. Isn't twice around impressive enough?" Cedric groaned, playing the same turning music again. Stubbornly, the little redhead ignored him and continued to try. Finally, without succeeding, Maggie stopped.

"I'm sorry Ced. I'm just so frustrated right now. I finally have the best guy in the world and tomorrow everyone is going to carry you off and sing 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow'" she rolled her eyes, sitting next to him on the piano bench.

"And I will drag you along with me," Cedric laughed, wrapping his arms around his beautiful girlfriend.

"Alright, I get the point," she laughed, putting her head on his shoulder as he played one of her melodies softly.

"You are so talented," she murmured, admiring his hands as they traveled up and down the piano.

"As are you, Ms. Walsh," he replied with a smirk and Maggie sighed contentedly.

"Why thank you Mr. Diggory," she patted his head as she stood up and dug through her schoolbag.

"Please don't take out what I think you're taking out," Cedric winced.

"Come on Cedric! I'm a Ravenclaw. I have to do my homework at some point!" she pouted, pulling out a few books and various quills.

"Yes, I understand, but as a Hufflepuff, I know that the smart thing to do is sometimes relax," Cedric stood up, attempting to seal her bag with magic, but Maggie had thought ahead and already cast a protective shield around it.

"Professor Snape will have your head on a platter if you don't do your work. Professor McGonagall will give you that absolutely stern and disappointed look, how could you stand that? Professor Flitwick would stand on his pile of books and look down at you the entire class, glaring. Professor Sprout would make sure you got the naughtiest plant in class the next day. Professor Moody would absolutely put a curse on you…why on Earth would you risk it?" she stared at him in disbelief as he continued to smirk.

"It's Friday, Magdalene. No work is due until Monday," he rolled his eyes, putting his hands on both of her arms and leading her back to their loveseat (an added addition to the room, as they both seemed to be distracted from the dance floor often).

"There's nothing wrong with getting a head start," Maggie blushed.

"That would be like me preparing for a task when I haven't even been chosen as the Champion yet," Cedric pointed out.

"Speaking of that, I've been thinking-

"Maggie," Cedric looked at her, putting a finger on her lips. She blushed profusely in return and nodded, vowing to keep her worries to herself.

"Good, how about we travel down to the Great Hall for dinner, then?" Maggie nodded in response and the pair traveled down to dinner, but when they reached the Great Hall, they were not alone. Amy, Micia, Christine, Greg, Henry and James followed silently behind, plotting their plan. The plan was going into action the following day. Micia was uncertain, but Christine would do anything to keep Greg in a good mood. Amy was the master mind and Henry was all for it. James just wanted his friend back. The plan was simple: separate the two of them and convince Cedric that Magdalene would make his father hate him and bully silent Magdalene to seal her lips for good.

"Amy, I'm just not sure this plan is the best idea you've had," Micia bit her lip as she pushed the food aimlessly around her plate. She saw Cedric and Maggie smiling at each other and holding hands under the table across the room. They sat at the Hufflepuff table while she and her friends huddled at the Ravenclaw table. The two of them looked so happy and Micia even swore she saw Maggie's lips moving. If they were happy and Cho wasn't crying her eyes out, why shouldn't they be together?

"Micia, I've already told you. Cho is just hiding her pain, she's actually incredibly torn up about this and as her good friends, we can't let some other girl steal her boyfriend," Amy rolled her eyes at the ditzy blonde.

"But Cedric was never going steady with Cho," James frowned. He didn't really like the sound of the plan either. It felt like they were taking advantage of Cedric's only weakness, something good friends wouldn't do to each other. Plus, Cedric was a smart boy and Maggie was an exceptionally brilliant girl. It wouldn't be hard for the two of them to figure out the plan and the players… and then James would lose his friendship for good.

"It doesn't matter," Amy snapped, and both the protesters quickly shut their mouths. It was better, they found, to remain on Amy's good side than to be on her bad side.

After dinner was over, Maggie and Cedric headed to the Ravenclaw tower as usual, but Cedric soon realized that he'd forgotten his bag in the Great Hall. With a smile and a soft embrace, the two separated for the first time in weeks. And that was exactly how they were found by Amy and her clan.

"Hello Magdalene," Amy tapped the girl on the shoulder as she walked up the staircase to the Ravenclaw Common Room. The Common Room itself would be too crowded with students, but the corridors were practically deserted. Maggie smiled. Amy was not one of her favorite people, but she was in a good mood.

"DID YOU HEAR ME?" Amy pronounced her words slowly and mockingly and Maggie frowned before nodding and continuing to walk.

"Then answer me," Amy said darkly, standing in front of Maggie and placing her hand on her collarbone.

"You heard her, mute, answer her," Christine glared, gripping Maggie's arm rather tightly. Micia bit her lip, but didn't show weakness. She also grabbed Maggie's other arm, though not anywhere near as tightly. Maggie glanced at them both nervously, before gaining a little bit of courage and ripping herself out of their grip.

_Be the bigger person Magdalene,_ she chided to herself. Following her own good advice, she walked forward. The Ravenclaw girls displayed an incredibly Slytherin quality as they followed her, once again stepping in her path.

"No no, Magdalene. You see, it's simply not alright that you are teasing Cedric around. Cho… yes Cho would be a fantastic girlfriend for Cedric. But you, you little piece of nothing, you are just a fly on his radar. He pities you, you know? What do you think is going to happen, huh?" At this point, Amy had cornered Maggie at the edge of the hallway. Stuck wedged in the corner, there were three obstacles in Maggie's way and when she fled to her dormitory, the only place she would be safe was the Common Room or the bathroom.

In her head, she pictured a vision where she pushed all three girls aside and maybe even did a gran pas de basque that landed right in their faces. But in reality, all she did was cower and hide her eyes from them. She didn't look and she didn't speak. Perhaps they would get bored and walk away.

"When you're asked a question, you answer," Christine hissed, grabbing her face and forcing her face to point to them. Maggie's eyes stayed on the carpet, though her face was being held by Christine. The girls weren't all that strong, so it didn't physically hurt Maggie as much as it hurt her pride to stand there and be bullied because she could not tell them to stop and she could not pull herself away. If she wanted to, she probably could have overpowered the girls. She was strong, in all the right places for a ballerina, because she'd spent her whole life conditioning. But something about their words was eating at her. They were completely right. Cedric didn't see her the same way she saw him. How could he? Granted, she'd allowed him into the deepest part of herself and he had done the same for her. But was it all out of pity? Magdalene thought that was the most viable option and she clenched her jaw as a tear threatened to spill out of her eye.

"Bloody hell, I said answer me!" Amy shrieked, at a whisper level of course, and when she received no answer, she swung her palm across Magdalene's cheek.

Maggie brought her eyes up to stare at them in fury and shock. Finally, she gathered up a small amount of courage and shoved past them, walking all the way down the hallway and murmuring the answer to the riddle at the secret entrance before collapsing into a chair that faced the gigantic fireplace. The chair was big enough to hide her crumpled form from any curious onlookers and her tears were silent, just like her life.

Meanwhile in the Hufflepuff Common Room Cedric was being surrounded by all three of his mates, badgering him about how nice Cho had looked at dinner. He didn't respond well to their plans… in fact, he glared at them and announced he was going to bed early. With a sigh, Henry plopped onto the couch.

"I hope the girls had better luck with Magdalene, because Cedric is too stubborn… he's not going to listen to us until she starts pulling away," he said thoughtfully while the others nodded.

"Do you reckon it'll be easier after he's announced champion tomorrow?" Greg asked doubtfully.

"I'm sure it will," Henry replied, clapping him on the back.

Maggie was strangely quiet the next morning. It was a different kind of silence than Cedric was used to from his girlfriend. It was tense, nervous and secretive…he might even assume that it was a frightened silence. Cedric realized this, and he didn't like it one bit.

"I think our room could use a bit of use today, yeah?" he grinned, trying to ease the tension. He offered her his arm and she took it gratefully, willing to push all her worries down and forget about them.

They worked together for hours, working on their pieces for the following year, easing the tension slowly and helping forget what was to come that evening. Maggie had chosen to audition for the American Ballet Theater in New York City, while Cedric was auditioning to be admitted into Julliard University, the most prestigious music school in the United States. He was auditioning with his own compositions. Maggie had chosen three incredibly difficult classical variations as well as an original, contemporary ballet variation to Cedric's music.

She worked for a straight four hours until she allowed Cedric to practice his own pieces. She worked harder than she'd ever worked before because the second she stepped onto that floor, it was time for ballet. It was time for art. She forgot all thoughts of catty girls or dangerous tournaments. When she danced, all she saw was the beauty, the expression. And she heard the music that was so sweet.

After a simple afternoon in the Room of Requirement, Cedric led Maggie down to the fateful, foreboding Hall that awaited them.

"Dear Students! The time has come for the Goblet to choose our three champions. We ask that after the Champion is selected, he or she please enter this side room for information on the first task," Professor Dumbledore answered, a smile glowing on his face. The fire turned green and a slip of paper shot out of the Goblet.

"The Champion for Beauxbaton School of Magic is Miss Fleur Delacour!" he read as he tucked the paper away in his robes and the Goblet spurted another slip of paper.

"The Champion for Durmstrang Academy is Mr. Viktor Krum!" the entire male population in the room lit up with applause and cheers as Viktor Krum, the boy Maggie recognized from that first night at dinner, stood and made his way to the side room.

"And finally, the Champion for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is Cedric Diggory!" the majority of the seventh and sixth years, even a few of the younger students, began cheering wildly. A wave of relief washed over Cedric, though his eyes swept past his cheering classmates to find the one pair of eyes knit in worry. To his surprise, Maggie's features were arranged in a smile and her hands were clapping wildly. He could tell there was an air of worry hidden behind that, but it meant the world to him that the girl he loved supported him. As he entered the room, a troubled voice shouted against the chatter.

"LOOK AT THE GOBLET!" it shouted, just as another piece of paper shot out of the Goblet's fire.

"Harry Potter…." Professor Dumbledore read in an extremely troubled, solemn tone. As was often the case when situations involved Harry Potter, the entire Great Hall became dead silent while waiting for Professor Dumbledore's judgment. However, none came. His face was a mask as usual, though it was frozen in a mask of utter disappointment and confusion. Harry was shoved up and people began booing as he slowly made his way to the front of the hall, eyes downcast and face red (whether in anger or embarrassment, Maggie couldn't say).

Her eyes tracked him across the room, troubled by the look of shock on his face. Surely, he had to have entered his name into the cup? It didn't make sense as the wheels of her brain began to turn. She was confident that no one could surpass the age line that Professor Dumbledore had created, not even Harry Potter. He was only a fourth year student, no matter how much raw power he had. It took knowledge and skill to perform advanced magic that would be required to trick Professor Dumbledore's spell. The man hadn't earned his reputation by being a charming humanitarian; he had some serious magical skills. And yet, Harry's name had ended up in the cup and had been chosen after all three Champions—the predetermined number—had been chosen. The Cup, from the extensive research Maggie had done, was an ancient magical artifact that had incredibly strong magic. It would have taken someone cunning and skilled to trick it. The only logical explanation was than a third party was involved in the exchange. Yes, that was it; Maggie realized that a very skilled and mature wizard or witch must be involved. He or she must have entered Harry's name into the cup under a fake school. To Maggie, it was evidently only a matter of who and why.

At the same time, Cedric tried very hard to hold his temper as he listened to Mr. Crouch, Professor Dumbledore and the other adults bicker over the rules and Potter's involvement. He wanted to punch Potter in the face. The little twerp was meddling where he didn't belong. Cedric needed to win the tournament, his father's approval was depending on it. For a moment, though, he watched Harry quiver with nervousness. The look on his face was not of smugness or confidence—many seventh years believed him to be a snarky little arse—in fact, the look on his face was that of pure terror and absolute confusion. How was a fourth year going to survive in this competition that even trained seventh years had been killed in? His mind flickered to Maggie…her small form would have been made up for by her magical strength and massive intelligence, but Harry Potter had proved to be just average at everything except Quidditch. Cedric could practically hear Maggie chastising him for not supporting Harry. "You're a Hufflepuff, where's your famous tolerance?" she would lecture with an annoyed huff. And then Cedric would sigh and agree with her.

"Professor," he interrupted and the adults snapped their heads toward him in obvious annoyance. "We can't reverse whatever happened so can we please continue with the rules and head to bed?" he suggested, as politely as possible. Viktor Krum grunted in agreement and Fleur Delacour waved her hand dismissively.

"Yes well the first task could be anything, so please prepare accordingly. Do some reading on the history of the tournament and practice a range of protective and offensive charms and spells to use. On the day of the task you will have your wand weighed by Mr. Ollivander so don't tamper with it. It will be your only tool so treat it wisely. Above all, students, compete with honor and courage. Represent your own school with integrity and intelligence," Ludo Bagman instructed. All four champions nodded and began to make their way out. Cedric felt a gentle tap on his shoulder and he turned, looking down at Harry Potter, the famous boy-who-lived.

"Listen, Cedric, I really didn't put my name in that cup and thank you for making them stop arguing," he murmured.

"Don't worry about it…" Cedric said. "You don't stand a chance anyway," he teased rather smugly. As Cedric exited the now deserted Great Hall, he saw his girl sitting on the steps, waiting patiently as she tapped her feet.

"Congratulations," she smiled, rushing into his open arms. He murmured his thanks. "And I know you didn't harass Harry," she said in a warning tone Cedric smiled before he was interrupted by a deep voice.

"So you do speak," Viktor Krum said, with a hint of a smile on his face. Maggie blushed and nodded. Cedric wrapped his arm around her partially for reassurance and partially to make it clear that Maggie was his, though Maggie clearly didn't mind the slight possessiveness. Now if he began glaring at every male as they passed through the halls, then Maggie would say something. "Hey relax, champ, just wanted to wish you good luck. You're going to need it," he winked at Cedric before walking away. Maggie let out a burst of uncontrollable laughter which Cedric joined in as they turned to head for the stairs.

"You two had better be getting back to your dormitories before curfew," Professor Dumbledore smiled as he walked past them, giving Maggie a knowing look. The pair nodded before the giggles set in once more and they hurried to their respective dorms before getting caught a third time.

**Author's Note: So it took me three months to write this, which is actually kind of pathetic. I really have no excuses other than my life outside of the internet is a busy one and fanfiction takes a lower priority than I'd like it to. Sad face. Ah well, here it is! The longest chapter on my record I believe, at 3,000 words. We get our first look at how Harry Potter will fit into this plot and I have the rest of the story plot planned out. It's just a matter of finding the right words. Please review to make my day a little brighter!**

**Much love, Reena Catheryn XOXO**


	6. Chapter 6

"Cedric you have to do something to stop those buttons," Maggie insisted as she stretched her legs and Cedric sat at the piano, playing soft warm-ups.

"They're just buttons Magdalene; they're not hurting anyone," he groaned. It wasn't that he hated Potter, but he was already shaky with his friends. He wasn't about to stand up for him.

"It's not fair to Harry! He didn't ask to be sabotaged. Does winning mean that much to you?" she stood, stretching her arms in a forceful, agitated manner.

"How do you know it was sabotage?" Cedric muttered. Maggie's face reddened and her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Cedric Diggory you are just as bad as your moronic mates," she glared.

"That's not true, Maggie. You don't know anything about my mates!" Cedric defended with a frown. He didn't want to fight with her, but he didn't want to fight with his friends either. He was torn, but he could hear his father's critical tone in his head, praising his friends.

"Whose fault is that? You've never introduced me! You're either ashamed of them or you're ashamed of me," the redhead fired back in retaliation.

"Well they don't understand you. The things they say…it would only hurt your feelings," he said gently, regretting each excuse as it passed through his lips. The comments from that first night on the train echoed in his ear. _Mental…snobby…mute…_

"I don't need protecting, Cedric Phillip Diggory!" she said coldly.

"I know that, Mags, but-

"Don't you 'Mags' me!" she shouted. "UGH, you are so infuriating!" she stomped her foot and fled the room, fully clothed in ballet attire. She muttered a spell to replace her clothes with her robes as she stormed down the corridors, contemplating where to go. She could find haven in the common room to study, but ever since that night with Amy and her 'gang', she hadn't wandered near any place where Ravenclaws congregated. That also ruled out the library. Suddenly, the idea came to her. There was a friend she hadn't seen in quite some time that could use a visit.

As Maggie rounded the corner to the hospital wing she brushed past none other than Harry Potter. He looked down at her, which was quite pathetic considering he was a fourth year not known for his height. Still his eyes were only slightly above hers as he smiled politely and turned to pass her. She wanted to say something, be supportive. She wanted to tell him that she knew what it felt like to hear the whispers and receive the glares. She even knew what it was like to be slapped in the face. But the words didn't sound right and didn't come to her mouth as they did with Cedric or Poppy. Instead, she gave him a kind smile and a soft squeeze on the arm.

As Harry left the corridor he glanced back at the small form leaving. He was extremely confused by the encounter with the Ravenclaw girl he'd never met before, but somehow he felt comforted by her actions. He thought he recalled seeing her with Cedric before, but she was pretty. Cedric couldn't have both her and Cho… that wasn't fair to the rest of the male population of Hogwarts. But then again, there were rumors that Cho would soon be going stead with Viktor Krum. Harry just couldn't catch a girl…

Poppy hustled out of her office as she headed to take care of whatever student had just walked through the door. It had been a relatively slow day, a miracle indeed, but she wasn't about to start slacking. As the doorway came into view, though, she slowed down and placed hands on her hips and gave a smug smile to her favorite student.

"Well, well Ms. Walsh. We've been a busy body, haven't we?" she laughed as Maggie came to sit in her office with her. She charmed some tea to make itself as she waited for Maggie to debrief, as she always did.

"I'm so sorry Poppy," Maggie bit her lip as they got settled. "I have no excuses for you," Maggie sighed and Poppy waved her hand dismissively. "I've been spending every moment rehearsing in the Room of Requirement… with Cedric," she admitted. "You see, the room sort of forced me into him and we started talking and practicing together and then after he got selected champion, he asked me to go steady with him so I said yes," she smiled.

"And you speak to him?" Poppy clarified.

"Oh yes, constantly," Maggie laughed.

"Well that makes more sense. Get that worried look of your face, girl, do you think I'm going to be upset that you are making more friends?"

"Honestly? I did think that," Magdalene's face lit in a blush almost as red as her bouncing curls.

"You silly girl! All I've ever wanted is for you to open up. I want the world to know about the beautiful young woman I have come to know and love," Poppy laughed lightly as she watched the small girl before her. She had grown from a trembling, twig-like first year into a lovely young woman with a fair face and a body shape that most women envied. She wasn't a little girl anymore. Poppy stalled tears that threatened to spill over her eyes at the thought that in a few short months, the girl before her would leave the halls of Hogwarts forever to begin her life, outside of school. Perhaps she would start a family with this Diggory boy, or perhaps she would find a new boy who captured her envied affections. Either way, Poppy knew she would be dancing in a spotlight for the next decade of her lifetime. Magdalene would do anything she set her mind to.

"Oh Poppy, I know. It's just that, ever since Cedric came along, I've been completely obsessed with spending time with him. I think we've just about had enough of each other. I don't want to fight with him, but he doesn't understand. Poppy, he won't stand up for Harry! Those horrible buttons that are around school saying 'Potter Stinks!' and such, it's just awful! But he won't do anything about it because he's too scared to stand up to his own _friends_," the word seethed out of Maggie's lips with absolute disgust. She simply couldn't understand how such horrid boys could have befriended a person as caring and wholesome as Cedric.

"Maggie, dear, I think it's time for you to do a little understanding of your own," Poppy said quietly, observing the creases on the redhead's forehead, as her eyes furrowed in confusion.

"You say you are upset with Cedric, for not understand you. But you are refusing to understand him. Surely there must be a reason for Cedric's undying loyalty to his friends. Remember, that he was sorted into Hufflepuff for a reason," the older woman stated wisely. Maggie pursed her lips in thought and was silent for a few peaceful moments. After that, their conversation continued on as it normally would. Maggie chatted with Poppy for a good hour before the latter was called to work by a fourth year Gryffindor named Seamus, who seemed to have blown something up. Maggie departed with a smile and a wave as she made her way toward the common room. The chat with Poppy seemed to have all thoughts of bullies out of her mind. She had purposely thrown it in the back of her mind so as not to bring it up with the adult. And now as she navigated the halls toward the Ravenclaw tower, Amy found an opportunity she simply couldn't pass up. She was alone in the hall, reading a book on her way to class when she saw a familiar head of red hair approaching. Though she didn't have the rest of her 'gang' with her, she knew just what to say to put Magdalene Walsh back into her invisible place.

"Hello Magdalene," she said utterly sweetly, falling in to step. The redhead, who had been completely absorbed in her thoughts, glared up before quickening her pace. Amy had quickly realized that physical bullying would not be affective. She hadn't intended to slap Magdalene the first time, it was just frustrating that she wouldn't speak or cry at least. However, the frail girl was a lot stronger than she appeared so Amy had rethought her tactics and created a new plan.

"I was just wondering if you'd seen Cedric around," she said. She observed as Maggie faltered in step, just slightly before hardening her glare once more and continuing on.

"I'll take that as a no. I was just looking for him because he seems to have left something with Cho from last year," Amy said her words slowly, watching how the words affected her. "Oh didn't you know, Magdalene? Cho and Cedric had a bit of a fling last year. Of course, she doesn't fancy him much anymore, but they use to snog all the time," she lied with her most convincing tone. It wasn't a complete lie, in fact. On a Hogwarts visit once the previous year, Cedric and Cho had shared one, timid kiss. It was something neither enjoyed very much, though they didn't dislike it either. It was that kiss that made Cedric unsure of going steady with Cho Chang. He hadn't enjoyed the slobbering minute they'd spent together and despite all her alluring qualities, he hadn't felt the same about her since.

"Let me know if you see him!" Amy trilled before walking away. Her work was done. She had planted the seed and now she just had to wait until it bothered the girl enough that she left Cedric alone for good.

Maggie watched her form retreat. Could her words be true? Had Cedric been attracted to Cho? Was he still pining over her? If he was… well Maggie didn't know what she would do.

**Author's Note: Hello dear readers. First of all, I am so very sorry for the shortness of this chapter. It's summer and I'm in a musical theatre camp (I'm the lead in Aida) and I'm staying with my grandparents and I almost forgot about updating! Anyway, the next chapter will be out by next Tuesday! I PROMISE (my grandparents have real internet). And it is an action-packed chapter. It will be worth the wait, I promise! Thanks for sticking on!**

**Reena Catheryn**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: It's been a while, I know. Please note that the first task takes place in this chapter. I don't remember what Cedric did to fight off his dragon. I read the book almost five years ago. BUT instead of searching and writing the same fight, I am going to exercise my creative freedom and write a completely new fight scene! Nothing I ever publish is an exact copy from any of the original books, so please don't mention that it is different. With all that technical stuff out of the way, enjoy this action packed chapter!**

Three days had passed since Maggie had fought with Cedric. She hadn't seen him in three days. It was Saturday morning, the morning of the first task. Maggie's stomach was in tight knots as she woke up early and rushed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Cedric hadn't been in the Room of Requirement for three days. He hadn't met her for breakfast, sat with her at lunch or walked with her in the halls during study hours. He had even gone out of his way to sit with his mates in class. People whispered. Cedric's brow furrowed. Maggie bit her lip. She had messed up. She had royally… messed up.

Of course, Maggie was not the only one regretting her actions. Cedric had been moping for three days that he'd never love again. He'd tried to protect Maggie from his friends, but he had always known that she did not need to be protected… and she did not want to be protected. He couldn't desert his friends, no matter how idiotic they were. He'd been their friend since before first year, when their fathers had introduced them. The friendship was arranged. But just because it was, and just because they weren't perfect, did not mean that their friendship was any less true. He couldn't give up all his friends just because he found the perfect girl. But he was not about to give up Maggie for them. The only solution was the incorporate both of his worlds and hope for the best. Except that Cedric was absolutely sure he'd already lost Magdalene. He couldn't bring himself to go to the Room of Requirement. He felt that it was her room. He had stolen it from her years before and now he surrendered it back to her. He didn't go meet her because he assumed she didn't want him to. He didn't sit with her so that she didn't have to be uncomfortable. And then on the fourth day… it was time for the First Task. And Cedric realized how much of an idiot he was being. He was doing exactly what Maggie always got mad at him for doing. He was thinking for her. And he realized he didn't want to compete without her in the stands, smiling at him. So he got up early and sat in their usual place at her table.

As Maggie entered the Great Hall on Saturday Morning, she found Cedric sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table. Quickly, she gained all the courage she had in every tiny bone in her body and sat down next to him. They were silent for only a few seconds before she turned to him just as he turned to her and they both blurted out, "I'm so sorry!"

"You're sorry?" Cedric asked. "What are you sorry for?"

"For being so difficult! I should have been more understanding. Sometimes I am such a hypocrite," Maggie blushed. "Why are you apologizing?"

"For being a moron. I shouldn't have been trying to protect you from my friends. And even after that, I assumed you wouldn't want me to be around you, so I ignored you. That's when I realized that whether you wanted me or not, I will always be there for you," he said, his volume dropping with every statement. Maggie paused for a few moments, studying his face and committing each tiny detail to memory. She observed how his chin dipped just slightly, or how his cheeks were rosier than usual. She noticed that his hair was disheveled, as if he hadn't bothered to brush it at all when he got out of bed. What stood out the most? The sincerity in his eyes. Their lovely hazel color was somewhat empty. She knew that Cedric understood it, then. She could see that he meant every word and that he truly understood what Maggie had been insisting all along.

"Cedric, the past is another land, far beyond our reach. The present is an empty space, between the good and bad. The future is a foreign world from which we can't return. Let's explore that foreign world together, and leave the past behind," Maggie whispered into his ear, earning a few snickers and whispers from the students that had begun to filter in. They embraced for a few moments before smiling at each other and digging into their breakfast just as Amy and her friends rushed in to the Great Hall, laughing. Amy stopped dead in her tracks as her other friends sat down, oblivious to her livid expression. She watched as Cedric and Magdalene smiled at each other and sat close, Cedric's lips moving furiously as Maggie's face reflected different expressions.

"Maggie, two days ago Harry Potter warned me that the first task would be dragons. We have to fight a dragon. We'll each have our own. Brief me now on everything you know about dragons. I read that they're skin is too thick to be affected by most magic. So it'll be about protective charms and distracting spells…things that don't directly affect the dragon," he filled her in quickly. She nodded and thought before taking his hand and leading him out of the Great Hall. They found a place under a tree near the Black Lake where no one was in eyeshot or earshot.

"Dragons… well to be honest I don't know as much as about them as you would hope. You're right about thick skin. And fire charms won't work either, because that will just enrage them to breathe their own fire, which is much more powerful than any spell any wizard could produce. Your best bet is to use the water wall… to protect you from fire. Protego to protect you from physical attacks. Put all your concentration into those two charms, trade between the two of them and they should protect you. Are you supposed to defeat the dragon or capture it? When is the task done?" Maggie asked, switching into business mode as the familiar knot began to tie up her stomach with worry again.

"I think Potter said something about capturing an egg…" Cedric shrugged.

"Cedric! That's very important! That changes everything. Oh my… Cedric, mother dragons are ten times more fierce because they are very protective of their young. They won't leave their nest unless they figure out you are threatening their eggs. That's when your trouble is going to start. I'm assuming there will be rocks in the area where you'll fight the dragon. Dragons usually nest on rocks or hot sand. Listen, how good are you with levitation charms?" Maggie questioned, her mind whizzing at a dangerous speed as she began to calculate a plan.

"Well we DID learn those in first year Magdalene," Cedric rolled his eyes, but at the sight of her stern look, he thought seriously. "I'm solid with them. I can handle levitating rocks, if that's what you mean," he answered. Maggie nodded once and leaned her head in, the two began to whisper and plan everything out. An hour later, all the champions were called to a tent and students were instructed to enter the Quidditch stands. Maggie walked Cedric to the tent, nerves eating at her as she clutched his hand with hers and walked in silence. When they reached the tent, only Fleur Delacour was there. They stopped walking and stood in silence. Maggie so badly wanted to kiss him… in case something happened and she never got the chance, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. What if she was bad at it? What if he enjoyed Cho more? No, she couldn't kiss him because then she might lose him. Cedric gave her a hearty squeeze before kissing her forehead and gesturing her off toward the stands just as Potter and Krum made their way to the tent.

Maggie followed the crowd of students and found herself sitting in a relatively good seat next to a small girl with white-blonde hair and a sparkle in her eyes. She sat on the edge of her seat anxiously, clutching her hands together and pulling her scarf up to cover her mouth from the biting wind. Winter was coming to Hogwarts…

Suddenly a loud horn was blown.

"Welcome students and spectators to the FIRST task of the renewed Tri-Wizard Tournament! We have brought back this age old tradition to reunite the students and the schools for a fierce competition and a challenge. These four contenders have been selected from the ancient Goblet of Fire as the most advanced and brave witches and wizards of their schools. Their task is to collect a golden egg from a specially selected dragon that contains a clue to the second task. The Champions will be awarded points determined by our judges, based on their performance against the dragon. Students who fail to retrieve their egg will be given no points and automatically placed at the bottom of the board. Now our first Champion is from our wonderful host school, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Good luck, Mr. Cedric Diggory!"

Maggie's eyes stung and burned from the biting wind, but she didn't dare close them. Time slowed down and all other noise faded out as Cedric stepped onto the pitch to face the spiked, fiery monster who sat on a nest at the other end of the pitch. Maggie didn't hear which dragon it was, nor did she particularly care. All her fears were realized as Cedric dashed out of the way of a flame shot from the dragon's mouth. Their hearts beat as one as his eyes frantically searched the crowd. His heart filled with confidence as he caught the pair of calm green orbs he had been looking for. Maggie gave him a reassuring smile, despite the feeling of impending doom that plagued her every thought. She knew if she stayed calm and collected, Cedric would too. And as quickly as he possibly could, Cedric cast a series of charms that no one understood. Suddenly the arena was filled with harps, violins, violas, pianos, flutes, and numerous other instruments playing an entrancing lullaby. It was hours after they had spoken that Maggie, pouring over numerous dragon books, had discovered that certain melodies and chord progressions could lull a dragon into sleep. Though she hadn't known much about chord progressions or the structure of music, Cedric did and was able to write a melody that followed the rules dictated. Maggie then taught him how to conjure an entire orchestra to play the lullaby he had written. Maggie smiled proudly as people whispered excitedly and the commentator gave a quick rundown action happening on the pitch.

Another pair of eyes was watching Mr. Diggory with great interest. These eyes, however, were cobalt blue. Albus Dumbledore was familiar with every charm, spell, and curse known to the wizarding world. He was also familiar with every student who passed through the halls of his school. Cedric Phillip Diggory had attracted a lot of attention during his years at Hogwarts. In fact, he had attracted so much attention that he was one of Albus' favorite students. Albus knew the boy was hard working and intelligent, but he also knew that he was not as magically accomplished as he appeared in this tournament. He was brave, indeed perhaps he would have been better placed in Gryffindor. But Albus Dumbledore knew that the charms performed were not part of the curriculum at his school, nor were they easily found. Only a Ravenclaw with ample time would have been able to find knowledge on how to put a dragon to sleep.

Ever since Mr. Diggory had approached him about the room of requirement, Albus had kept a close eye on the boy and the small Ravenclaw girl he already knew used the room. Rumors had been flying around the school halls about the two and their scandalous relationship. Now, Albus was not a gossip spreader, but he did enjoy a juicy piece of gossip on the occasion. He found an ample amount of enjoyment in listening to the student's trivial stories of each other and the blossoming young love between the seventh years was always a particular soft spot with Albus. Yes, Albus was definitely aware of the young love that had sprouted between Magdalene Walsh and Cedric Diggory. But, he realized with a knowing smile, there was absolutely no rules against training new spells and having others help you with the competition. Plus, Cedric's use of unfamiliar charms was nothing compared to the fact that every Champion seemed to be prepared to fight a dragon, which was supposed to be a secret. Everyone, including the little redhead, was entranced as they watched the dragon calmly lay down and began to sleep, snoring lightly. Mr. Diggory crept across the pitch as silently as he possibly could and the crowd fell silent as well. The concentration on keeping the lullaby playing was evident on the boy's face, but it was only a minute or so before he had the golden egg in his hand and crowd cheered wildly. The lullaby had stopped, but Ludo Bagman had already blown the horn and the dragon trainers were already in the arena, subduing the dragon and leading it out of the arena.

When the horn was blown, Maggie stood up and cheered with the rest of the Hogwarts students and faculty. The students from the other schools clapped politely out of respect and excitement that it was finally happening. But as quickly as Cedric left the field, Maggie was dashing through the stands muttering a very very quiet "excuse me" as she pushed past people. Even though she shouldn't have been allowed in the area where the Champions were, her close relationship with Poppy and the fact that she was Cedric's steady girlfriend made Professors conveniently "not notice" she was there. She ran to the tents where Poppy had set up a medical station and quickly found Cedric being checked over just in case.

"Cedric!" she squealed as she launched herself at him. He caught her easily, wrapping her in a huge hug. She didn't worry about having people hear her speak because only Poppy was in the tent, and beside that, she was too excited for Cedric to care.

"I told you it'd be alright, Mags," he grinned when they finally pulled away from each other slightly.

"Oh hush and just let me congratulate you without saying I told you so… You did wonderfully, just like we planned. And the lullaby? It was simply breathtaking," she smiled, getting lost in his eyes.

"It was all you. I just cast the charm," he shrugged nonchalantly. Maggie rolled her eyes, but otherwise just grabbed his hand and went to sit where the Champions were allowed to wait while the others competed. They couldn't see the pitch, as huge walls were surrounding it, but Maggie thought it was best that way. They listened with baited breath as Viktor, Fleur, and Harry all achieved their goals. It was time for the tally.

"It seems like at the top of the board with full marks is…" the crowd held its breath as an entity while Ludo Bagman paused for dramatic effect. "HOGWART'S CHAMPION CEDRIC DIGGORY!" he announced loudly, causing the majority of the stands to scream in outrageous applause. The other champions all did well, but Maggie knew it was important for Cedric to be number one. She knew he had to win if he wanted it to be worth it.

"My dad's coming over, I'll meet you in our room later Mags," Cedric whispered lovingly in her ear before standing. A part of Maggie was hurt that he still hadn't told his father about her, like he had promised he would. But she didn't want to ruin his special moment either so she nodded and turned away, walking back toward the castle to practice some dancing before Cedric turned up.

**Author's Note: Again, this took me a ridiculously long time to write, which is why there are two Author's Notes. Anyhow, I sincerely hope you guys enjoy it. I'm trying to catch up on all my stories (including Fortune Favors the Brave!) and so you should all go read them. Seriously. Go. **


	8. Chapter 8

It was an hour later when Cedric finally dashed into the Room of Requirement. Maggie didn't notice him at first, as she was perched delicately on pointe, on only one foot. She stood in a first arabesque, trying to lift her leg to 180 degrees as her upper body dipped forward only slightly. She focused and perspired as her leg reached not only 180, but easily 210 degrees and her upper body was still 40 degrees from the floor. She smiled triumphantly and rose back to a normal arabesque, as Cedric had been taught it was called, before closing her back leg in to pose in fifth position releve and roll down to flat. Cedric began clapping at that moment and she smiled running over to him. As she ran into his arms a thought occurred to her.

To become a professional dancer, you had to be trained in partnering—or pas de deux—as well as dancing by yourself. Previous summers she had begun partnering, but she was falling behind during the year because she was not practicing while the other students were. She had always used the excuse that she went to a scholar's academy to take advanced muggle coursework and that while she was there, she had a private tutor in ballet. Her teachers from her ballet academy would be suspicious and not let her dance with other dancers her age if she was not training. They did not know she trained on her own because she made sure that she worked diligently and slowly, as if a teacher were correcting every single mistake she made as she danced. She improved much faster than most of the other students in her class, but in pas de deux she fell behind without the proper rehearsal.

"Hey Cedric," she said hesitantly.

"What's the matter?" he asked, put on alarm by the nerves evident in her tone.

"It's nothing really. It's just that in order to successfully become a member of the American Ballet Theatre, you have to be able to pas de deux and I'm afraid I haven't been able to practice it very much since there isn't anyone to practice with," she hinted very subtly to what she was thinking.

Cedric was very relieved that she hadn't brought up his father because he'd been worried about another fight with her, but he still didn't understand why she was worrying.

"I practice with you every day," he said in a clearly confused tone.

"Not like that," she laughed. "A pas de deux is a dance of two. It's partnering. You know, the long slow dance you see when the boy and girl dance together? There are lifts and turns and they move as one. It's really quite beautiful," she smiled longingly. "It's always been my absolute favorite part of the ballet."

"I think I saw a very bad version of The Nutcracker once. Is there a pas de deux in that?" he asked. Maggie's eyes widened incredulously.

"Of course there is! Tchaikovsky's pas de deux music for that ballet is so beautiful. Oh I can't believe you don't know it!" she exclaimed, waiving her wand and conjuring the music, as she always had before Cedric played for her. She knew the choreography by heart, since she had watched it done many times and memorized the choreography so that she could envision it whenever she heard the music. She had never tried to dance it before because she'd never had a partner that was able. As the opening harps played, she got an idea. She quickly stopped the music and stared at him with a smile.

"Stop looking at me like that, it's your crazy face," he backed up a little, feigning fright.

"Dance with me, Ced!" she smiled, extending her hand. The fake fright turned to pure terror on his face as he realized what she was asking.

"Are you kidding?! Maggie, I've never danced in my entire life! Conjure someone to dance with you or something," he shooed her away as she inched closer to him, wand out.

"You can't conjure people silly. You don't even have to try. I'm going to try and do a very complicated bit of magic. I read about it one time. You know there are a lot of books on magic in ballets in the library. Apparently, a lot of famous artists and dancers and such were wizards and witches so some things they did that seemed impossible were done with magic and now muggles have found more difficult ways to do them. The first ballerina that danced en pointe did it with a simple feather weight charm on herself, but then all the muggle dancers forced themselves to dance on the tips of their toes by making hard shoes and hurting their feet. I do it the muggle way because it's more rewarding," she explained.

"Are you serious?" Cedric paused, laughing.

"Dead serious".

"Muggles really can't quit, can they?" he grinned, hoping she'd forgotten about making him dance. Suddenly she hit him with a nonverbal spell. He was dressed in the most ridiculous outfit, with tights and shorts on which barely counted as clothing. He blushed scarlet red as she giggled and pointed at herself, immediately dressed in a sparkling white tutu with diamonds and sparkling glittery makeup on her already dazzling face. Her hair, as usual, was in a tight bun, but she had adorned herself with a tiara and her arms had little sparkling sleeve things.

"You're lucky I put shorts on you. Most male dancers only wear their tights," she giggled as she poured more magic from her wand into him. He felt very strange, as if he suddenly had the urge to dance, but he knew nothing about dance whatsoever.

"Maggie, what are you doing to me?" he demanded, scared out of his wits.

"I'm giving you the magic of dance. I read about a spell in a book that wizards and witches used in dance to enchant their muggle partners to dance at their level so that they could be even. They wouldn't understand what happened, but they were filled with an overwhelming passion for dance and suddenly they were dancing beautifully without knowing how they improved. For you, you'll dance without knowing what you're doing, but you'll feel satisfied. Just enjoy it," she giggled starting the music once more.

She walked to the corner of the room, Cedric going to the opposite corner. They walked toward each other slowly, delicately and met each other at the center. Maggie rose to pointe as Cedric placed his hands on her waist. Resigning that he couldn't control the charm she'd placed on him, Cedric gave himself to the music and to the beautiful young woman in his arms. She smiled as she just enjoyed dancing with the boy she loved. Without quite knowing how, Cedric twirled her and held her waist as she went into an arabesque as she had earlier. He seemed amazed at the way he could dance by her side, leaping and running like a dancer. Maggie giggled, knowing that the best was yet to come, though Cedric had no clue. All the sudden Maggie was running toward him and he caught her and held her above his head as she bent her back and raised her arms. He walked a circle around the room, not knowing how in the world she was keeping her body positioned as he kept her in the air. She changed her form multiple times and marveled at herself in the mirror. She was doing it! She was partnering! Finally, he set her down and twirled her some more before she let him put her in the perfect fish dive lift, to finish. The two were breathing heavy after they finished.

She lifted the charm off him, which also took away the soreness from having danced a pas de deux and dressed him back in his robes. He looked grateful and stopped breathing heavy, sitting down at his piano bench and watching her as she did some cool down stretching.

"So that's a pas de deux, huh?" he asked finally, smiling.

"That's a pas de deux," she confirmed. "And if you were trained in dance at all, I would want you to be my partner forever. There's no one I trust more than you to dance with me," she told him.

"That's too bad that without that charm I'm completely useless and you can't charm me all the time," he shrugged and she shrugged as well, changing back into her robes with a tap of her wand.

"We should get to dinner, I'm sure everyone is wondering where the amazing Cedric Diggory is," she laughed and he nodded, heading toward the door with her. Even though he had shrugged it off, a seed had been planted in his head. Was there any way he could do what she wanted him to do? Could you even learn to dance in a year, let alone at a professional level? Maggie had been training her whole life to get where she was. Then again, she had trained the muggle way for the satisfaction. Maybe with a bit of help from his magic and lots of practice, he could do what she really wanted. And maybe then she would trust him enough to kiss him.

"They can wait a bit longer," Cedric murmured, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to him.

"Cedric," she giggled nervously. "Aren't you completely famished after the day you had? Defeating a dragon and then performing a pas de deux?" she teased, but with a sense of urgency in her voice. Cedric sighed inwardly. He didn't know why she was so hesitant and distrusting when it came to anything physical. He had never hurt her, had he?

"Yes, you're right. Let's go," he offered her his most sincere smile and his arm as they strolled out of the Room of Requirement. Maggie gnawed on her lip as they traveled in comfortable silence. It had happened again. Another awkward moment had passed when there could have been a kiss and there simply hadn't been. She honestly couldn't say why she couldn't bring herself to kiss Cedric. The thoughts were tangled in her head, which was very unusual considering she usually had everything sorted out. The emotions whirred and made her gut feel nauseous whenever she tried to think about it. So she placed it aside as an issue for another day and just enjoyed dinner with Cedric. As she suspected, there were dozens of people thronging to him to congratulate him. Even Harry seemed to be getting quite a bit of attention from his fellow Gryffindors and a few Ravenclaws. The Hufflepuffs and all of the Slytherins still sided with Cedric though. As Maggie observed the two other champions she felt a pang of pity. Viktor Krum—Cedric had taught her he was quite the celebrated Quidditch player—was quite skilled but had almost no supporters aside from the small group that had come from Durmstrang. Fleur Delacour had a throng of boys following her, but not for her magical accomplishments.

All this and more Maggie thought about as she quietly picked at her dinner. Cedric, however, did not. For once he didn't worry about Maggie or his mates or anything like that. He just allowed himself to bask in the glory of his accomplishments for a short while. He knew that in Hogsmeade, his father sat in the Three Broomsticks bragging and for once he was glad that he had lived up to his father's bragging. Now if only he could live up to Maggie's view of him…

TIMESKIPTIMESKIPTIMESKIPTIME SKIP

The next morning Maggie woke up early, anxious to spend the day with Cedric in the Room of Requirement. She rushed through her morning routine, only being able to think of an entire free day with Cedric. She wanted to get a lot of rehearsing in, but she knew it was more important that they start solving the riddle in his egg. As she left the common room, however, Cedric was not outside waiting. Knowing he liked to sleep in, she decided to meet him outside his dormitories instead. With a smile and a soft sigh she headed in the direction of the Hufflepuff den. However, on her way down the stairs she saw Harry Potter being harassed by Draco Malfoy—the infamous fourth year with a temper and rich father. Maggie rolled her eyes and prepared to pass them, but something Draco was saying made her ears perk.

"Just Potter, playing the hero again. How far will you go to get attention? Thinking you can beat Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum in a tournament for seventh years! Well, Potter?!" Draco sneered as his two goonie-like friends cracked their knuckles. Harry didn't seem hurt, just annoyed, but still Magdalene had had quite enough of all this business of picking on Harry who was clearly under enough stress having to survive the tournament. Still, what could Maggie even do? She turned to walk away again and saw Cedric at the end of the hall. She gave him a smile and he waved, but frowned as he noticed the situation she had been observing.

"Malfoy, stop being a git. I've got things to do," Harry tried to walk past him, but Draco had one of his mountain troll friends give Harry a shove.

"Not so fast Potter," Draco said as the other mountain troll friend punched Harry in the stomach. Maggie's blood boiled, remembering her encounter with Amy and her friends. Maggie hadn't been strong enough to protect herself, but she sure wasn't going to let a different set of bullies hurt anyone else, especially someone who had done nothing wrong. Maggie was so enraged she didn't register that Cedric had just yelled something at Draco or that he was coming over to stop the situation. All she could see was red. She marched up to Draco Malfoy and punched him in the jaw. Then she stomped on both his friends' toes with an evil glint in her eye. There was the slightest moment of shocked silence while everyone observed the little redhead. A small girl with piercing green eyes, which were now sparkling in rage, no one had ever noticed had inserted herself into a situation she knew nothing about.

"How dare you, you little-

"How dare YOU!" Maggie shouted, causing more shock, especially on the part of Cedric Diggory who stood at the end of the hallway, watching because he was too confused to do anything else. "You little prat! You bully! You, you, you cotton-headed-ninny-muggins!" She fumbled for insults. She knew it wasn't her finest verbal moment, but she had never insulted anyone before. "How dare you treat another person like that, especially one so superior to you! I suggest you leave at once and stop bothering him before I do much worse things than tap your jaw," Maggie smirked, knowing that the strength of her ballet training was finally paying off.

"My father will hear about this," Draco attempted to threaten, though his face was turning hot from embarrassment and anger.

"Yes, I'm sure you're father will be thrilled to know that you got your arse handed to you by a girl half your size. And if you'd like to take the issue up with Professor Dumbledore, there's a Prefect right behind you who could report it," Maggie smirked as Draco's attention was turned to Cedric. By now, Cedric had composed himself and was enjoying the situation all to much.

"Yes of course, Mr. Malfoy. I am technically obligated to report this incident, though all I saw was you and your friends bullying Mr. Potter. I don't seem to recall what occurred after that as I was too busy laughing," Cedric replied. Draco, clearly beaten, glared at both of them for a few moments before he huffed.

"Crabbe, Goyle, let's go," he turned and stomped away. Harry looked a bit humiliated and altogether quite confused. A few other students who were headed to breakfast had caught sight of the incident and began to whisper furiously, rushing past.

"Er, thank you miss, but that really wasn't necessary," Harry mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as a rosy blush filled his cheeks. Maggie pursed her lips for a moment, contemplating the best answer. She didn't want to offend Harry or make it seem like he couldn't fight his own battles.

"Oh yes, I know. But what better time to show everyone that I am capable of speaking than embarrassing Draco Malfoy?" she winked in a very confident manner and patted Harry on the shoulder before turning to walk away. As she reached the end of the hallway she shot Cedric a look and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Potter-

Maggie glared at him.

"I mean Harry, you did a good job yesterday. Good luck with the riddle," he

**Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to someone I admire a lot (an author on this site who writes insanely beautiful ballet stories. So for any of you who actually read my stories and enjoy the ballet aspect, or anything really, you need to check out her stories, "Claire de Lune" and its sequel "Pas de Trois"). She read my story even though she was up late at night and had her own story to be writing. She inspired me to continue this story, which I'd hit a tough spot on. So I hope you enjoyed this installment and I'm busing working on the next, though it will be slow to update since I'm starting my final semester of high school. Oh and the scene with Harry and Draco, I know it doesn't exist, but give me some leeway neither does Magdalene haha. **

**Thank you so much for your support, but seriously guys I could really use reviews. They remind me not to let my creativity fall into the abyss. Show me some love and click that button! It's really easy you know :) and if you like what you see… click on my name and go ahead and explore some of my other stories. They all sound a little nuts, but my goal is to finish at least 3 of my stories before graduation. I've got this one all planned out. **

**P.S. (sorry for the longest Author's Note ever) Amberdeen, if you recognized it I did use your story for a bit of inspiration there in the beginning. **


	9. Chapter 9

Magdalene couldn't be entirely sure where her newfound confidence had come from. She just knew that she couldn't let anyone boss her around anymore. As her and Cedric entered the Great Hall and chose a spot at the Hufflepuff table, she smiled and hummed one of Cedric's songs to herself.

"Maggie…what made you do that?" Cedric finally asked after a few minutes of pondering in his head.

"You saw what that little prat was doing! I didn't know if you would reach us in time to stop the situation," Maggie tried to shrug it off cool-ly.

"Come on Mags. You knew I would say something. Even I couldn't let Potter," cough, "I mean Harry get picked on by that greasy fourth year," Cedric rolled his eyes, not buying it for a minute.

"I've been on Harry's end of bullying," Maggie admitted quietly, pushing some French toast around on her plate with a fork. "I know how it feels when you can't stand up for yourself. It's mortifying, even more so than painful. So I gave him an excuse."

"Who picked on you?" Cedric asked. He was angry, but mostly curious, because he assumed that Magdalene had never had it easy since she was so different from the other students.

"It's not important," Maggie shrugged, suddenly becoming hyper aware of Cedric's eyes on her and the tension in his hands. A beetle scampered by on the table and Maggie gave it a quick look of disgust before turning back to Cedric.

"Of course it is Magdalene. No one should be allowed to walk around thinking they can treat other people like that," Cedric insisted.

"It's not like there's much you can do about it now," she pointed out calmly, shaking her red curls a little and taking a bite of her breakfast for the first time. She didn't like discussing it and hardly felt the need to rehash things of the past. "Please Cedric," she added as she watched him open his mouth to argue. "Let's not worry about things that've happened in the past. It isn't an issue anymore, okay?" she gave him a look which he knew meant that if he didn't let it go, she would walk away.

"Fine, but you have to promise to let me know if anything like that happens again," he placed his hand over hers on the table and she fought the blush that crept up her cheeks.

"I don't need protecting," she reminded him, it seemed, for the dozenth time.

"I know," he smiled. "But I like to pretend that you let me wear the pants sometimes."

"Oh Cedric," Maggie snorted. He watched in delight as she laughed outright, attracting the attention of quite a few people. He had never seen the young woman he loved so open and comfortable in public and her confidence was contagious. He kissed her on the cheek and she sobered quickly, still clearly uncomfortable with the intimacy. He sighed and stood, pulling her up with him. The pair made their way down the main aisle and out the doors of the Great Hall, headed to the Room of Requirement for more practice. They were stopped, however, by a woman in a tight green jacket and skirt. She had a quill in one hand and a long piece of parchment in the other.

"Mr. Diggory!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, which in turn wrenched Maggie's arm into an awkward position. She pulled her hand from Cedric's crossly, rubbing her sore elbow and shooting a glare at the intruder.

"Hello Ms. Skeeter," Cedric held back the harsh words he had for the less-than-desirable woman. She had previously conducted an interview with each of the Champions, and Cedric hadn't liked the way his went. He had dreaded what the 'Daily Prophet' would say about him. Not so surprisingly, the article had focused on Harry and for once Cedric was very glad.

"I was wondering if I could conduct a bit of a follow-up interview with you and your friend here," she gave him a wink, thinking of all the scandalous things she would right about Golden Boy Diggory in her next article since she'd been spying on the obnoxiously quiet redhead. At first she'd wondered if she should accuse Cedric of dating a girl with a mental handicap, but then from the gossip she'd overheard she knew her story could be much, much better.

"Sorry, but Ced's not interested," Maggie seethed coldly, grabbing Cedric in the arm.

"Tsk tsk, little miss," Rita stuck a hand out to block the pair from moving. "I'm afraid that it's simply not your choice. Now, let's all go back into the Great Hall then shall we?" she led them both with a not-so-gentle shove back through the doors. A few heads turned to look at them, but they really weren't the focus of the gossip anymore since people—even Amy and her 'gang'—had gotten used to seeing them together.

"Well then let's start with you. Miss…Walsh, is it?" Rita settled herself as she let her special quill do all the work for her.

"Maggie," the redhead confirmed, grinding her teeth in annoyance. Her precious rehearsal time was being wasted by a woman who clearly had nothing but bad intentions.

"How long have you been in a relationship with Mr. Diggory?" for once Rita Skeeter got straight to the point, not wasting any time in getting to the nitty gritty details.

"Excuse me but I hardly think that it's any of your business," Maggie replied in a cold tone. Cedric felt her small hands squeeze his tightly. He rubbed his thumb over her hand and cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid I have to agree Ms. Skeeter. We appreciate you wanting to interview us for your column, but the private details of our lives will remain just so…private," he confirmed with a nod, standing. Rita frowned only momentarily, not being used to being refused, and stood.

"Now, now Mr. Diggory. I don't think your father would find Ms. Walsh to be a suitable choice for a companion. As I recall it, he's quite proud of your reputation. Don't you think a little girl who won't speak and won't kiss you is a little against that reputation?" Rita sneered, watching as blood boiled in both the young adults standing before her. Before Cedric could say anything, though, the unknown girl opened her mouth and out streamed a pent up frustration that had been waiting for many, many years to be released.

"Now you see here Ms. Skeeter," Maggie sneered. "What I do or do not do is NONE of your business, or anyone else's for that matter. My relationship with Cedric is between myself and Cedric, not you, your readers, his father, or anyone else who cares about his illusive reputation," she mocked the word with every ounce of sarcasm she had in her. "Furthermore, when I am ready to kiss my boyfriend I will do so, regardless of what situation we are in or who is around to watch! Perhaps it did not occur to you or anyone else that despite my previous inability to speak my thoughts I do indeed have plenty! I am far more intelligent than your pitiful self will ever be. I hope you have a very awful day Ms. Skeeter," Maggie practically shouted, as more people began to pay attention to the developing soap opera. Cedric sat in shock, for the second time that day, and allowed himself to be dragged away by Maggie. That is he was allowing himself until Rita Skeeter said something that sent him into a whirl of anger…

"Well then Mr. Diggory! I suppose Magdalene is right. She does indeed 'wear the pants' in your relationship," Rita taunted, knowing she would get a big reaction.

Without knowing quite why, Cedric stopped. Maggie turned to give him a confused glance, but before she could even contemplate what Rita Skeeter had said or why Cedric was staring at her with a determined and somewhat angry look, his lips were on hers and to her shock…hers were reacting the way they were supposed to! For months Maggie had lost sleep over what would happen the day she finally had her first kiss…would she fail at it? Would it be awkward afterward? And worst…would Cedric break up with her? But as their lips touched and they moved their arms around each other, she realized that it had all been for naught. It came naturally, just like falling in love had.

Cedric was thrilled and beside himself. He hadn't meant to make Maggie uncomfortable or to hurt her or single her out, but he simply hadn't been able to stand it any longer. He had earned her trust and her love. He loved her more than anything in the world. Why shouldn't he be able to kiss the love of his life? And why should some nosy woman like Rita Skeeter dictate anything in his relationship? So he had kissed her, just like that, in front of the entire Great Hall. Though it felt like forever, it only lasted a few short seconds (to the relief of the professors and the disappointment of the students looking on in entrancement). The two of them pulled away and smiled; completely and blissfully unaware that anything else in the world existed.

Rita Skeeter sat with a smug smile and for once… didn't write a scathing article that told of scandals and insults. She sat, without her special quill, and wrote a story of romance for her readers—who occasionally were hopeless romantics who just needed to hear about a good kiss.

**Author's Note: Oh look at me! So I know it's been an awfully long time you guys. I'm sorry about that. And I'm sorry that this chapter is so incredibly short compared to my normal length. It's an important chapter nonetheless and needed to be written! I have the rest of the story planned, just need to find time to write it. Next chapter is the second task! If you want to read it… you must review!**

**Please, please review dearest readers! I really want to know what you think! Are you shocked? Disappointed? Thrilled? Want more of something or less of something?! TELL ME. CLICK THE BUTTON. REVIEW.**


	10. Apologies

My Dearest Readers,

Let me start this off by saying I have not abandoned you nor forgotten you. This letter is going to go as a new "chapter" for each of my stories so it will be generic. For my less popular stories, "Mum's the Word" and "Ghosted" I'm looking for a co-author. I say co-author because I'm not willing to relinquish my power over my ideas, but I need a fresh perspective. I don't plan on abandoning them though, just need to figure out where to go. My more popular stories "Silence" and "Bumblebee and Bellabear" are currently still being updated. I'm working on the next chapters, just being slow. I'm sorry it seems flakey. I'm a senior in high school and graduation is next week so I'm finishing final exams and saying goodbyes and its been very hectic!

I encourage you to go to my profile and check out my other stories while you wait (I've got a few very nice one shots. And I'm thinking of starting a Les Mis Enjonine fic soon!) actually, I'm begging you to read my other stories and not my leave me as I promise not to leave you!

Most Fondly,  
>Reena Catheryn<p> 


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Let me first promise that this update does indeed include a chapter in all it's Cedric glory! You will FIND it below :) but I'd also like to apologize for my disappearance all summer. To my faithful 19 followers, thank you and I hope you haven't left me quite yet because we still have 7 chapters after this one! Summer was crazy as I was in a production of "The Wedding Singer" and living two hours away from home to do so. Preparing for college has taken me by surprise but I am here now. And so are our two favorite lovers! Without further ado, enjoy Chapter Ten!**

For a month, Magdelene and Cedric worked tirelessly in absolutely all aspects of their lives. They spent at least three hours on homework and studying every day, another two to four hours rehearsing, and then the rest of the night until curfew (with the exception of a 30 minute dinner break) they worked out the riddle and plans for what it could mean and how Cedric could approach it. It hadn't taken her more than a few days to realize that the egg's riddle could only be heard under water, and once they'd heard the riddle it took her another two weeks to realize what it said. It was only after Cedric had mentioned the mermaid flirting with him that Maggie had realized the riddle was given by the mermaids. It was also after that she had realized she was quite jealous of any girl who had the audacity to flirt with Cedric. The latter made her blush in shame. On the Friday night before the Second Task, Maggie was alone in the Room of Requirement, working hard on their plan for the next day. Cedric was supposed to be going to dinner (after acquiring special permission) in Hogsmeade with his father so Maggie knew she would be alone for the night.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching, ponder this:_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour- the prospect's black_

_Too late, it's gone. It won't come back_," she half-sang to herself, having memorized the words after studying it so many times. "The first bit obviously means he'll have to be swimming, so the bubble head charm we've planned handles that. He has an hour, so it'll have to be a strong charm to last an hour. And he'll be looking for something important to him. If he doesn't find it and retrieve it, he'll lose it forever," she frowned, talking to herself to help organize her thought. It was the only piece of the riddle that wasn't obvious and she simply couldn't figure it out. What could be so important, but not vital to perform the task? It couldn't be his wand; he'd need that. She supposed it could be something different for each of them. For Viktor and Harry, perhaps their brooms. For Fleur...well she couldn't say what was important to Fleur. And for Cedric? Perhaps his piano, but Maggie shuddered to think of that. What would people think? No, she doubted it would be his piano. With a sigh, she gave up on that aspect. Whatever he was looking for, it would be with the mermaids and their dwelling she'd found after careful reading was in the center of the Lake. She also had prepared him on every type of creature he might encounter and ways to ward them off, especially a nice bright Lumos charm. As she pushed the books away and stood, ready to dive back into dance rehearsal for the evening the door opened. The person who walked in did not shock Magdelene, but he did surprise her a bit.

"Professor Dumbledore!" she exclaimed.

"Hello Magdalene," he smiled, nodding his head a bit and observing the room peacefully. "I quite like what you've created here," he commented with a wink. Maggie blushed furiously.

"Oh thank you Sir," she said hastily.

"You're a very clever witch, Ms. Walsh," he eyed the book stack in the middle of the room as he walked around the room's perimeter. "So I'm sure you must assume that it was obvious you helped Mr. Diggory in the First Task and will most likely have helped him with the Second," he lectured calmly. Maggie gulped quietly and nodded. This made a laugh bubble from Albus Dumbledore's lips. "Dear child, it's not against the rules in the slightest! But I just wanted to confirm that you knew the riddle within the egg. Have you figured it out then?" he looked at her expectantly.

"Well yes Sir," she sighed in relief, having panicked for a moment. "Most of it at least," she grimaced at her inability to completely solve the riddle. She explained to him her theories, which she knew were correct, and her confusion over the last part.

"Yes we knew when we created that bit that not even the cleverest of our students could figure it out. The thing Cedric will be looking for, Magdalene, is you," he stated softly.

"Me?" her eyes widened, the concept whizzing around her head as if she couldn't quite grasp it. Maggie was intelligent and clever, but she had always had a terrible fear of water. She couldn't swim. She could swim in a rudimentary sense, she supposed, but not enough to survive in a pressured, timed situation. How could she stay under water for an entire hour just waiting to be rescued? She was not one to wait to be rescued, ever.

"Calm yourself Ms. Walsh. I promise we have taken every precaution to ensure that you and the other hostages are safe. You will be placed into a state of deep sleep and will be able to breathe underwater until you are brought to the surface. The charm will wear off then so the Champion's can easily help you to shore," he chuckled a bit at the terrified look on her face.

"But Professor, what if any of the Champions don't meet the time limit or gets disqualified? What happens to their hostage? The riddle said it would be too late and they would not get it back," her voice was low with dread as she thought about the realistic possibility she would die the following day without ever getting to say goodbye.

Professor Dumbledore thought for a moment. He could easily tell her the truth: that he would never let any student come to harm, and that they would be brought to the surface by the merpeople at the end of the task when all the Champions had returned. It would also be just as easy to let the worry instill a healthy fear into the fearless redhead who seemed to have such an edge on the competition. If she made sure that Cedric was aware of the danger of the situation, he would compete harder to ensure victory. However if she told him everything, he would have an unfair advantage. And despite wanting Hogwarts to win very badly, Professor Dumbledore would not cheat. Still, he felt it important that fear be a factor in the task. He also thought it would be fun, in a bit of an evil way, to see what the task would turn out like if the students did not know the hostages were completely safe. So instead of replying to her question, he simply looked at Magdalene grimly.

"I have the utmost confidence in our four champions that they will complete the task effectively. Come to my office at 5am tomorrow morning. The other hostages will also be there and you will all be prepared for the task," he instructed, taking his leave. When he reached the doorway, however, he turned back. "And Ms. Walsh?" the redhead looked up from where she had been pacing. "It's only logical that you cannot share this information with Mr. Diggory or anyone else," he looked over the top of his glasses at her and she hesitated slightly before nodding. "However, I think it's best that you forewarn Cedric that you will be occupied tomorrow morning so he doesn't go searching for you and miss the task," and with that, he turned and left the room. Maggie conjured a beanbag chair and sank into it, covering her eyes. She was so used to hiding her emotions around others that it was a habit even when she was alone. She tried to control her tears, but they poured out mercilessly causing her to hyperventilate. As she tried to reign in her emotions, Cedric was dashing through the halls at top speed. It was almost curfew and he wanted to be able to say goodnight to his redhead before he was due back in the Hufflepuff common room. He paced in front of the Room of Requirement quickly three times, not even having to think of how badly he wanted to see Maggie. But what he saw shocked him, and scared him a bit.

The small redhead stood quickly, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm herself. She tried her best to smile at him. He frowned, not fooled, and walked over to her slowly, embracing her in one swift movement and placing a solid kiss on her forehead.

"Maggie, what's wrong?" he questioned softly, eyes searching the bright green ones in front of him. The green eyes, for their part, worked swiftly to hide their true worry.

"Nothing," she hiccuped in a small voice, eyes glancing down. She wasn't very good at lying to him.

"Don't even try that," he warned. She stayed silent, not being able to come up with an explanation. "Maggie we can't go back to this," he groaned conjuring a couch and plopping her down on it before conjuring hot chocolate for the both of them.

"It's almost curfew," she muttered before standing to leave. "I have to get in some studying tomorrow morning so I can't have breakfast with you, but you'll see me right after the task. I know you're prepared, but remember to be really wary of everything down there and get through in plenty of time, okay?" the urgency in her voice was well masked by her fake calm demeanor. Cedric nodded, but followed her to the door, remembering her earlier tears.

"I think I know why you're upset," he whispered. Her heart froze and then sped up faster than it had ever beated. She didn't trust herself to even open her mouth.

"I promised a long time ago to tell my father about you. I'm so sorry I didn't keep that promise, but I told him tonight Maggie! And he wants to meet you tomorrow after the task," Cedric looked down, beaming at her. His father seemed skeptical of him going steady with a girl from an unknown, broken home. But she was intelligent and driven so he was willing to be open minded. Cedric knew it was only because he'd groveled and explained how much she'd helped him with both tasks, but he didn't tell Maggie that. Maggie's tears were renewed, thinking of how tragic it would be if she didn't survive, but she hid that fear with a smile as if the tears were of relief.

"Thank you Ced," she whispered before pressing an urgent kiss onto his lips and dashing off to her dormitory for a night she knew she would spend not sleeping. As she reached her room right before curfew the other girls were mostly all in bed with their drapes closed. One girl sat in the window nook, shadowed in the dark night but she looked up as Maggie entered. She smiled softly, but the tear stains on her cheek gave her away. Maggie bit her lip before approaching her.

"Is everything alright Cho?" she asked. Cho blinked for a moment, completely shocked that the rumors that Magdalene had started speaking were completely true. She recovered quickly, not wanting to be rude.

"Not really, but I'm afraid I can't talk about it," she sighed. Maggie knew immediately what she was speaking of. Cho had been seen around the grounds and even at mealtimes speaking with Viktor Krum. She wasn't sure whether the relationship had progressed past platonic, but it was clear that she was at least Viktor's closest friend at Hogwarts. It would be an obvious choice for her to be Viktor's hostage.

"Did Professor Dumbledore come speak to you about tomorrow as well then?" Maggie sighed in return, thinking about what a turn the day had taken. Cho once again recovered from her shock quickly, realizing that Maggie must be Cedric's hostage. They were both sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason.

"No, Professor Flitwick told me," she whispered. They sat in mutual silence, both worrying over their own thoughts.

"For what it's worth, Maggie, I never intended to stand in the way of you and Cedric. It's clear you make each other happy," Cho told the smaller girl who sat beside her with a genuine smile. Maggie chuckled quietly.

"I never guessed in a million years that he would've even considered me, but now I can't consider him picking anyone else," Maggie confessed, happy to have a friend in Cho. "And I'm glad that you and Viktor seem to be hitting it off."

"Yeah," the brunette smiled, brushing her hair to the side. "Me too."

* * *

><p>The next morning Cedric had breakfast with his mates, which wasn't as unusal as he thought. He ate with them three or four times a week still, after he had introduced Maggie she had become an accepted part of their group though they rarely actually socialized with her since her talking had only been recent as of a month previous. Still, he found it odd to sit at breakfast without her. He yearned to see her, but she had told him not to look for her so instead he ate what food he could stomach while listening to all his friends cheer him on. He noticed that while the other two Champions ate their breakfast, Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen. Cedric frowned, but didn't think too much of it. Back when they had figured out the egg needing to be heard underwater, Maggie had 'hinted' that it would be nice if he shared the tip with Harry, since Harry had tipped him off about the dragons. That way he thought they were even, even though that's not how Maggie saw it. He briefly wondered if that might be where Maggie was and a flash of jealousy shot through him. He pushed it down, knowing that she would never intentionally hurt him.<p>

As he ate breakfast quickly and headed down to the Lake with the rest of the students, who were chattering excitedly and chanting his name, he ran over Maggie's plan in his head. Cast a strong bubblehead charm, cast a strong lumos charm, dive into the water and swim as quickly as I can to the center. He ran over all the various charms and shields he could use to fight off any creature he encountered such as Grindelows or the Squid. Rescue the object I need to rescue and swim directly upward. Break the surface before swimming to shore. He repeated the list mentally over and over, preparing himself for what he might find in the dark water. He knew that he had to pay extra mind to the time limit. He and Maggie had read as much on mermaids as they could. If the mermaids were holding the treasure, they would most likely allow him to take one item. If he tried to touch more, or touch something that wasn't his they would attack him. Mermaids were well known for seeming harmless until their treasure was threatened.

Soon Cedric found himself standing next to Harry, who had mysteriously appeared clenching something tightly in the hand that was not holding his wand. Cedric wondered briefly if it was Gillyweed, a plant Maggie had stumbled upon that wasn't readily available. On Harry's side stood Viktor, and on the end was Fleur. They glanced at each other, partly gauging the competition and partly wishing their fellow competitors luck in the dangerous task. When the horn blew he cast his charms swiftly before pushing off the dock and into the water. He briefly watched as Viktor Krum, head of a shark adourned, dashed off along the border. Harry Potter, gills and webbed hands and feet, took off in the opposite direction. He didn't catch a glance of just where Fleur went off to, but he swam forward knowing that the view from above he had studied would lead him to the mermaids and his supposed treasure. As Cedric swam, the only thing that really held him back was the Giant Squid which wrapped its tentacles around him and squeezed so hard that it took Cedric at least a minute to reach his wand and blast the creature away. A few other creatures ventured toward him, but were all deterred by his bright Lumos. As he approached the mermaid village he eyed them warily, slowing his speed. But when his eyes caught sight of their "treasures" anchored to a statue his heart filled with dread. Magdalene's red curls floated around her wildly as she swayed in the water along with Cho Chang, Ron Weasley, and a small blonde girl who looked like she could be Fleur's miniature clone. Her skin was dull and gray, like the mermaids, and the only sign that she was alive was the small stream of bubbles coming from her mouth. Having no idea what time it was he quick;y swam to her, using a slicing charm to cut her from the statue. The mermaids made no move to stop him and he let out a breath of relief. He saw them move, though, and realized they were moving to attack Harry, who had been there when Cedric got there.

"You only take your own," they hissed at the small boy who had been reaching for Cho Chang. Cedric ignored him, swimming to the top of the water with Maggie easily in his grasp. He hadn't really ever realized how light she was until that moment. As they broke the surface, Maggie gasped and opened her eyes before beaming at him.

"Oh Cedric I knew you would do it!" she exclaimed, holding in her emotions as she carefully treaded water. A frown reached her face as she glanced up at Fleur, screaming from the deck. She overheard Ludo Bagman announce that Cedric was first to emerge and Ms. Delacour had been disqualified. Terror filled her heart as she peered beneath the water, squinting, but not seeing anything. "Cedric you have to do something!" she screamed.

"What?" he asked, having started to swim toward the deck.

"You have to help Fleur's sister Gabrielle! Who is going to get her out?!" she screeched. Cedric knew that the professors wouldn't dare let a student die because one of the Champions failed their task, but the terror in Maggie's eyes and the reminder that Harry Potter was down there trying to be a hero told him that he should listen.

"Okay," he nodded with a sigh. "Can you make it back alright?" he asked to be sure, though he had no reason to believe otherwise.

"Yes," Maggie nodded carefully, putting herself in focus mode. She pecked him on the lips with force before wishing him luck. To the shock of the audience and the judges, he dove back under the water after re-casting his bubblehead charm just as Viktor Krum emerged holding Cho Chang. Unlike Cedric, however, he swam directly to the dock with her. Maggie ignored it all, though, as she doggie-paddled with determination. Her teeth were chattering because the water was ice cold in the winter and her speed was slow, but she made it to the dock with a victorious smile as Poppy fretted over all the kids, making sure they had heated towels and were being dried. Professor Dumbledore approached her with a mischeivous glint in his eye.

"Ms. Walsh, where did Mr. Diggory go?" he asked her. She stopped the chattering in her chin by wrapping a towel tightly around her.

"Back down to get Gabrielle," she said simply.

"Ms. Walsh you must know I would never let any harm come to someone who was not a willing participant," Dumbledore did his best not to sound patronizing, honestly surprised that the clever girl had not figured it out. She frowned at him before surprising him once more.

"Harry has come to harm already and will undoubtedly come to more. I cannot see the truth in that argument, Professor," she replied before swiftly turning and walking away. Her eyes remained trained on the clock. As it turned out they had emerged at 40 minutes, Viktor Krum at 45. Now it was 58 minutes and there was no sign of Harry or Cedric. Maggie paced anxiously, not listening to Poppy telling her to go into the heated tent. And then, just as everyone else thought Viktor would be declared winner by default, at 59 minutes and 50 seconds, Cedric and Harry emerged with Ronald Weasley in between them and Gabrielle tucked safely into Cedric's arm. An uproar shot through the crowd as Fleur shot up, quickly retrieving her sister and thanking both Cedric and Harry profusely. Harry gave Cedric an odd look of gratitude before turning to talk to Ronald. Cedric turned to Maggie, but she ushered him quickly into the medical tent after seeing the pink rings left from the Squid's suction cups. Just as he was finished being patched up a voice boomed over the stadium. Cedric grasped her hand tightly and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Viktor Krum, having officially finished in first place is awarded 10 points for his swift completion and strong charm work. Fleur Delacour, who unfortunately was unable to complete the task, recieves no point. Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter finished in last place, but are still awarded 8 points each for bravery and loyalty in the face of danger. This places Cedric Diggory in the top spot for the third task, Viktor Krum and Harry Potter have tied at second. And Fleur Delacour finishes off in fourth!" Ludo Bagman announced. Maggie beamed at Cedric as he swept her into a hug, spinning her around. The crowd was roaring beyond belief and everyone was pouring out of the stadium seats hoping to be first to congratulate the Champions.

"Cedric! Cedric!" a voice called. it was being overpowered by the crowd, but Cedric picked it out and grinned at Maggie, motioning for her to follow him. He grasped her hand so he wouldn't lose her in the crowd. It was hard to move through the throng of people wanting to congratulate him, but they did so with their heads down. When the reached the voice, they stood on the steps going into the castle.

"My boy! You did such a fantastic job out there today! Made me proud, you did," the grey haired man with small round glasses pulled Cedric into a tight hug.

"Thanks Dad," he grinned before pulled Maggie close to him. "Dad, this is Maggie," he introduced. Maggie ignored the nerves which suddenly bubbled in her stomach and smiled, shaking his hand politely. She had waited so many months to meet him, but it never once occured to her that she should be nervous. It wasn't until she had fully realized that she did not meet Amos Diggory's standards of upbringing, that she realized she should be very nervous about meeting him.

"Hello sir," she said brightly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Amos thought for a moment, glancing the tiny girl up and down. She was thin, but clearly built in an agile way. She was obviously very clever and at least she wasn't frumpy or homely looking. She wasn't beautiful like Cho Chang, who Amos had been trying to set Cedric up with for years, but she was pretty. He thought of all the rage Cedric had thrown at him the previous night at dinner when he had automatically refused a match who's family was not up to par. It wasn't even that the family had to be pureblood, they just had to be well known and respected in society. The Walsh's were neither. The few that did know them frowned upon their divorce or the fact that they chose to have jobs outside of the magic community. Still, Amos saw the fire in her eyes and the loving glaces that both gave each other when they thought no one was looking. He was reminded, for an instant, of the love he and his late wife had shared. It hadn't been glorious and they had built their reputation from the ground up. It hadn't been glamorous, but it had been deep and strong. With a genuine smile Amos gave a slight nod and a wink to Cedric.

"The pleasure is all my mine Ms. Walsh. I can see just how much help you've been offering to Cedric in these tasks and in his schoolwork," he told her. Maggie shook her head slightly.

"No sir, I just help him plan. Cedric does much more than he gives himself credit for," she insisted, to which Cedric scoffed.

"Not likely Mags. I don't think I'd know where to find half the information you do in the library," he rubbed his thumb against the back of her palm absent-mindedly. She smiled to herself.

"You are just as capable of searching the library Ced," she laughed.

"Either way it is a pleasure to see you both so happy and of course victorious in the tournament!" Amos said, bouncing back to his usual competitive self. Cedric fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"It really was lovely to meet you, sir, but I have to finish some homework if I want to go on the fieldtrip to Hogsmeade tomorrow," Maggie explained before slipping her hand out of Cedric's and waving goodbye to them both. She disappeared into the crowd of students still pushing into the castle.

"Thanks Dad," Cedric told his dad earnestly, not even fully understanding why the meeting had been torturing him for weeks.

"Nonsense. You've clearly made up your mind. Have you got a ring then?" his Dad asked abruptly.

"WHAT?" Cedric almost choked on air as his dad's words hit his ears.

"An engagement ring of course. You are an adult now Cedric. It's not like you're going to go to Muggle college or anything. Once you win the Tournament and leave Hogwarts it's the perfect time to settle down," he lectured as if it were completely obvious.

"Father I will propose to Maggie whenever I want to, whether it's in a day or five years. We're not even close to that point right now. I've only just gotten her to kiss me," he groaned. Amos frowned.

"That's not what I see when I look at you two," he shrugged before waving goodbye and turning away from the Castle, joining the other adults. Cedric groaned at his father's antics. The old man would never learn.

**Author's Note: AH! So there it is :) One of my best, I hope. It really was fun to write and I tried to make it long since it has been such a long time since I updated. I'm really sorry about that guys, but I'm hoping to finish this story up in a few weeks and then pour more time into my crossover "Bumblebee and Bellabear" and maybe return over to "Mum's the Word". I've also got "La Rose dans la Vitrine" being updated MOST regularly. It's a Les Miserables (musical based) fic surrounding Eponine and Enjolras if you're interested. Thanks for the continued support!**


	12. Chapter 11

The announcement of the Yule Ball sent the upper grade students into a frenzy. Students from the first, second, and third years mostly moped around, hoping someone would ask them so that they could go too. Cedric and Maggie were called to the mandatory dance practice like all other upper grade Hogwarts students. They sat in the back with sly smiles as Ronald Weasley danced with Professor McGonagall. When the demonstration ended and the music began Cedric stood. He placed his hand in front of him and bowed slightly.

"Will you dance with me, m'lady?" he grinned.

"I don't know good sir. You see I haven't got a date yet and I don't want to sent the wrong message to potential suitors," she batted her eyelashes innocently. He took we hand in his with a serious face and opened his mouth before his friend Greg grabbed her hand and spun her into a waltz.

"Too late Diggory! I get to dance with the lady now," he teased as he did his best to dance. Maggie giggled wildly and Cedric simply rolled his eyes. It warmed his heart to see her interacting so easily with his friends. He only allowed Greg to step on her feet twice before he cut in, transitioning easily into a foxtrot with her.

"Will you accompany me to the dance Maggie?" he finally asked as they spun around the room. Her eyes had been closed, but they snapped open, green orbs shining.

"I'd be delighted to dance the night away with you," she nodded with a smile. On the other side of the room people without dates stood awkwardly unsure of who to practice with.

"Hey, um, Harry," Cho tapped him on the shoulder. His heart raced like a speeding train as he turned to face the older student. "I'm going to the ball with Viktor, but since he's not here would you mind practicing with me?" she asked quietly.

"Not at all," he shook his head, placing his hands in their appropriate places an shooting himself mentally for ever thinking she would want to go with him.

"So have you thought about who you're going to ask yet?" Cho asked pleasantly as they danced around to the music. Harry's ears burned red for a moment as he fumbled for the right words. Finally he just shook his head in denial. Cho pursed her lips for a moment. She knew the younger boy had a small crush on her and she hated to think of herself as making anyone unhappy. Harry was a nice boy and she genuinely wanted him to have a nice time at the Yule Ball. She'd been thinking desperately about who she could set him up with, but no one had come to mind. Finally she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye.

"What about that little friend of yours, the girl?" she asked, trying to remember the third year's name.

"Hermione?" Harry glanced back at his friend in panic. "No I couldn't. She's like my sister. It would just feel wrong," he shook his head vehemently. Cho laughed.

"No, not her. The little redhead...the Weasley girl," Cho clarified.

"Oh Ginny," Harry's cheeks reddened for a moment. The tension between he and the youngest Weasley had built since his second year. Ron had unknowingly told him of Ginny's major crush on Harry which made it a little uncomfortable for both of them. No one else had seemed to notice, but she was so young he hoped it would go away. He couldn't deny that she'd grown up in the past two years, though. She was still Ron's kid sister, but she was also his Ginny. She was smart, confident, and beautiful. Harry wondered if asking her to the Yule Ball would make things weird between him and Ron before he realized he had stopped dancing altogether. Cho was giving him a knowing smile.

"You should ask her," she encouraged before letting go of Harry's hand. "Thanks for practicing with me!" She left Harry standing there, burning in embarrassment and returned to her friends.

"What was that about mate? I thought she was going steady with Viktor Krum," Ron asked as Harry approached his friends again.

"She is. She just wanted to practice and to...erm...tell me to ask Ginny to the Yule Ball," he messed with his hair in nervous habit. Hermione scrutinized him for a moment before smiling widely.

"I think that's a fantastic idea Harry!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yeah if we're just all going to go as friends that sounds pretty cool," Ron nodded. Harry and Hermione exchanged brief glances, both wondering how Ron could be so brilliant at times and so thick other times. Hermione opened her mouth to correct him, but Harry shook his head quickly. She rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. "So if Harry and shinny are gonna pair up then I guess it's you and me...that is if you want to of course!" he corrected himself quickly after seein the look on Hermione's face. She was about to tell at him for assuming again, but stopped herself. This was probably as close to asking her to the ball as he would get.

"Of course I'd enjoy that Ronald," she huffed. "I'll catch up with you guys later," she murmured before leaving before either of them could see the disappointment in her face.

"Blimey. What did I do now?" Ron complained. Harry chuckled quietly.

"Nothing Ron, but we better get back to the common room. I've gotta find Ginny," he patted his friend on the back before turning toward the door.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Diggory!" Professor McGonagall called them both over. "I assume you both have a partner at this point," she said once they both had gathered by her. Maggie hung back unsure if she was supposed to be involved in the conversation or not. Ron waited for his friend by the door.

"Yes I'm going with Magdalene," Cedric smiled, beckoning her over. Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction before turning her gaze to Harry. He hesitantly nodded.

"I'm going with Ginny Weasley," he confessed, hoping she wouldn't deny him when he asked later.

"Right well as champions you will be entering the Yule Ball in procession and will be dancing the first song alone. It's Yule Ball tradition. I expect only the highest of you two. You are representing our school in a formal setting, unlike the challenges. That means you must dress accordingly, behave accordingly, and be the best dancers on that floor," she gave then a hint of a smile, pride hiding behind her stern facade as usual.

"Of course Professor," Cedric and Harry agreed as Maggie smiled. The wheels in her head began turning as they were dismissed.

"Would you like to practice? We've got a few hours before curfew and I feel like we haven't gotten in a good rehearsal in a few days," Cedric asked as they walked hand in hand to the Room of Requirement. Maggie nodded in excitement, practically taking off in a run. As they entered the room she transfigured her robes quickly into a simple white practice tutu. She had her leg earners and shrug on and quickly put her shoes on before sinking into the splits to stretch. Her warms ups we're fairly quick, as she was eager to start dancing. Cedric warmed his hands on the piano and played a few of his audition pieces as she stretched. When she stood, clearly waiting, he gave her a smile. The plan had been formulating in his head for quite some time. He'd done research that would make her proud. Today she was going to be thrilled with him.

"Could you play la Raymonda? I haven't worked on that one in a while," she asked as she stood in fifth position. He shook his head and she opened her mouth to question before he waved his wand and her tutu transfigured into the same powder pink one she had worn when they had danced together. She looked down in amazement and when she looked up, he stood in a white tunic and rights. His feet were clad in ballet shoes and his smile lot the room. Maggie's eyes widened.

"What are you doing Ced?" She demanded.

"Dancing with oh properly. I mean I've cheated by placing quite a few charms on mysel so that I can have the strength and flexibility that I should have spent years building up. But I've been teaching myself the moves. The first time you asked me to help you I realized I want to know what dancing feels like without too much magic. I've been trying to learn as much as I can. It makes you so happy, I just want to feel that too," he explained, approaching her slowly. Maggie frowned.

"But isn't that what piano does for you?" she muttered.

"I enjoy piano and for years it's been a way for me to express myself, yes, but I never had the opportunity to explore anything else. And I love the feeling of dancing with you. Please will you dance with me?" he begged, having not expected her resistance.

"Of course. I'm sorry it's just strange for me to imagine you not sitting at the piano," she admitted sheepishly. He shook his head with a laugh and motioned we to go the other side of the room. She took her steps toward him as the music started easily remembering the choreography that had been engrained in her memory from watching the tape of the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker so many times. She watched in amazement as he followed her technique. He was by no means a perfect dancer, but you couldn't tell that he hadn't been training for at least a few years. With her help, if he wanted it, he could pass for a worthy partner. She smiled fully as the music les into the first crescendo an they performed their first lift. She felt sturdy in his arms and knew that was the work of the strengthening charms. As they finished, he was breathing heavier than he ha been the previous time. He had been putting in more effort, using less magic.

"Thank you Cedric! That was-

"Thrilling. I can see why you love to dance so much. If you wouldn't mind...I would really like you to teach me more," he asked between breaths. She conjured him a glass of water and nodded, chattering about ballet moves and terms excitedly.

"Cedric! We have to dance at the Yule Ball!" She gasped, eyes wide.

"Of course we will. It is a ball," he said pointedly. She rolled her eyes.

"I mean really dance. Like this!" She bounced up and down. Though her usual ringlets were secured in a bun he knew they would be vibrating if her hair was left wild.

"I can't do that Maggie. I'm a champion and a prefect. Plus my father would hear about it and can you imagine what my friends would say if they saw me in this? I'm sorry Mags, but I can't," he shook his head fiercely.

"A few month ago I would have told you not to care about what they said," Maggie said softly, placing a small hand on his cheek. "But now I know better. I also know your friends now. And I'm telling you they will not care. You are their friend and they like you for who you are, not you your dad boasts you to be. They'll accept you no matter what. And you're dad really cares about you Cedric. He only wants the best for you, as any other parent does. You don't have to wear that outfit. You can still wear your normal dress robe. I'm not going to wear this, that's or sure. Please Cedric. We'd be representing our school and undoubtedly be the best dancers in the room," she pleaded, sticking her bottom lip out only slightly.

"No Maggie," he shook his head again and she sighed. She didn't want to push him and upset him. Everything had been so stressful lately.

"Fine, but we at least have to be fancier than everyone else," he smiled and he laughed before placing a kiss on her lips.

* * *

><p>The doors to the Great Hall opened and hundreds of eyes watched as the champions walked in two lines. At the front was Viktor Krum, in brown thick fur dress robes. On his arm was Cho Chang, dressed in a beautiful royal blue silk Chinese dress. Behind him came Fleur Delacour in a powder blue ball gown similar to her school robes, with a Drumstrang named Demetri dressed much like Viktor. Behind them, as if walking on a cloud, came Cedric Diggory and Magdalene Walsh. Most of the students at Hogwarts had been eagerly following the gossip surrounding the two, but in that moment not even Any could find a single negative comment to spread. Cedric was dressed in a simple black tuxedo, tails and all. Maggie walked on his arm in a light pink romantic tutu. The bodice was satin and the neckline dipped in a v. It was decorated in pearls and diamonds. The skirt was a few layers I light tulle which stopped at her mid-calf. Her hair was pulled into a French twist and she wore a diamond headband in her hair, having felt a tiara was overkill. On her feet were a new pair shiny pair of pointe shoes (her old ones were too raggedy for a ball). Behind them, at the end of the line, Harry Potter walked in white dress robes with Ginny Weasley in a simple green gown on his arm. As the music started, Maggie and Cedric both recognized the music immediately. Maggie found a pair of bright blue eyes peering at her over half moon glasses and smiled. Professor Dumbledore nodded and waved his hand toward the floor.<p>

"Cedric...Professor Dumbledore wants us to," she murmured quietly in his ears, having to go en pointe to reach. He looked at her in horror before glancing around the room wildly for Professor Dunbkedore who gave him a nod of encouragement as well.

"Maggie I told you I can't! Just because they've started playing Waltz of the Flowers doesn't mean I'm going to dance ballet. We're waltzing. Isn't that enough for him?" He began to panic, but Maggie shushed him quickly.

"You don't have to dance ballet Ced, I promise. Just go along with what I do, okay? I'm going to dance when it gets to the coda. The very ending that's all, alright? Don't dance, just be ready to help me. All you have to do is an assisted pirouette and a few lifts. The fish dive is classic and simple and we'll do a shoulder sit and a lifted arabesque," she planned quietly as they continued to waltz. None of the other champions had made a mistake yet and even Harry Potter (who seemed to have a bit of trouble in practice) was dancing with ease. Cedric gulped, but agreed. Hopefully everyone would be looking at Maggie and since he wasn't actually dancing, who could say anything? With about a moment left in the song, Maggie broke the waltz and have him a smile for reassurance. She separated from him and took the unoccupied space in the middle of the circle to leap and twirl for a few measures before she nodded and ran toward her. He lifted her and she supported her upper body as she waved her arms. She nodded once more and he placed her down to help with a few pirouettes. They did a few more lifts and leaps before she finally did some small jumps before running at him for their final lift, a shoulder sit whih ends the dance. The Great Hall was silent for a moment, processing what they had seen before the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students burst into wild applause. Cedric's friends joined next, and then the rest of the Hogwarts students. Maggie smiled and Cedric seemed relieved that most eyes were on her. The music started once more and they danced one more son before sneaking off the dance floor while most others were occupied. Professor Dumbledore found them at a table.

"Thank you Ms. Walsh. I knew you would have something prepared. You have done Hogwarts proud. I am regretful that we haven't invested more in the arts as a school, but there is so little time to teach you students as it is. Our visiting schools have a deeper appreciation of the arts. Naturally I wanted the opportunity to boast just a bit. Thank you for indulging me," he expressed his gratitude while she only nodded.

"It truly was my pleasure Professor," she smiled.

"And thank you as well Mr. Diggory. Those lifts you helped with really were the cherry on a delicious cake!" Professor Dumbledore clapped his hands together in excitement before leaving them alone. Greg, James, and Henry soon found them sitting quietly.

"Mate that wa bloody amazing!" Greg laughed as he sat down, giving Maggie a pat on the back.

"Thanks," she replied softly.

"And we saw you recruited our good friend Mr. Whipped over here to help with the heavy work," James clapped Cedric on the back. Cedric, who had been holding his breath in anticipation, released it with an easy smile.

"Nothing wrong with being whipped, boys," Henry informed the group before bursting into laughter and leaving to rejoin his date.

Over at the punch table Harry scope some into two glassss before returning to a table where five other people sat.

"Thanks Harry," Ginny have him a bright smile, gulping down the lunch quickly. Hermione and Ron were seated, both awkwardly staring at the floor. Neither of them had danced the entire evening. Luna Lovegood was explaining some bizarre concept to Neville as he listened intently. Finally she grabbed his hand with a gasp.

"Oh I love this song! Let's dance Neville," she stood up. "Hermione, Ronald come on! You can't miss this song," she pulled them up as well and led them all out to the dance floor. Ginny laughed at the sight of her brother, who couldn't quite figure out where to put his hands.

"You'd think he's never seen a pair of hips before," she exclaimed. Harry smiled, but didn't comment.

"Would you like to dance again, Ginny?" He finally asked, looking at his sleeves in fascination.

"Sure," the redhead shrugged, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor and twirl her around.

By the end of the evening, feet were tired, heads were giddy, and smiles were plastered on faces. Cedric walked Maggie back to the Ravenclaw tower in silence. When they reached the doorway she turned to look at him.

"Thank you for tonight," she whispered softly.

"I love you," was his only reply. She smiled, reaching up to kiss him.

"I love you too."

**Author's Note: Doo dee Doo. Average sizes fluffy chapter! Next chapter will hopefully be up in a week, most likely a few weeks. Im sorry for leaving it this long. It's been a few months since I updated. What can I say? I'm busy and not good at forcing myself to write. Reviews make me go quicker!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Do I even bother with excuses at this point? It's been a while, but at least I'm still writing. I should be writing an essay on domestic/wild hybrid pets and whether or not they should be legal, but instead you get a chapter. You're welcome. On a side note, there are only going to be fifteen chapters, plus an epilogue. So we're almost at the end you guys! This chapter was originally two, but I needed to just write and this is what I got. Sorry it's so short. Next chapter will be a fun one!**

The months leading to the final task began to fly by before anyone had a chance to take a breather. Between homework, exams, rehearsing, and preparing Cedric for the third task Cedric and Maggie were burning the candle at both ends. They started the day with a rushed breakfast, went straight into classes (any study hall periods were used to do homework for other classes), and after dinner rehearsed for hours until curfew. After curfew, Cedric found his way to his bed and collapsed, sleeping until just before breakfast. He regretted it the next morning every day, as he rushed to finish his homework during breakfast. He was mentally exhausted, but made sure to never let it show and he got enough sleep that he kept his easy confident persona around everyone else. He wasn't as worried about the tournament anymore. With Maggie's help, he was more prepared than anyone should have been. He didn't feel as uneasy as she was. Compared to dragons, the third task was sure to be easy. He was worried about Maggie, though. Every day her walk got a little bit slower, her eyes a little darker, and her temperament a little more agitated. It didn't help that he still hadn't shared his plans about joining the world of Muggle Music with his father. He could see the pain in her eyes every time she asked about it.

Maggie would stay up hours past curfew making sure all her work was done and excellent before reading as many books as she possibly could and teaching herself new charms and hexes to teach Cedric. This left her with no more than 4 hours a sleep each night, which was beginning to take a toll on her personality. She didn't dare let her schoolwork drop, and she only pushed herself harder in dance. The logical part of her mind knew that something needed to change. She needed to pull back on something before she ran herself into the ground, but she was making it work and as the day of the third task came closer and closer, she felt physically ill with worry. Every time Cedric acted like the third task wasn't a big deal and they didn't need to practice, she repressed the agitation she felt, but it was quickly building up.

Things had not felt right with the tournament from the beginning, but the more she thought about it the more things did not add up. Harry was infamous for getting into trouble because danger often sought him out. He was selected for a tournament he was not eligible for, and on top of that he had not even entered his name. It was obvious to Maggie that someone else had, but she had yet to figure out just who it was. She didn't think it could have been most professors, as the charms set by Professor Dumbledore were incredibly strong and couldn't be tricked by just anyone. It also had to be someone with a very dark agenda. Only recently had Maggie begun to question everyone involved with the Tournament. She automatically dismissed the other headmasters, as they wouldn't involve Harry Potter just to stir up trouble and give themselves an edge in the competition. It also couldn't be a student. That left someone in the Ministry (which was a terrifying thought) such as Barty Crouch or Ludo Bagman, or someone affiliated with Hogwarts though the only Professors she thought clever enough would be Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonogall, Professor Snape, and Professor Moody. Ludo Bagman was far too vain and self-concerned to have sinister plans against Harry Potter. She knew Professor Flitwick well and trusted that he did not have any dark intentions. She also knew Professor McGonogall was fiercely loyal to Professor Dumbledore as well as very protective over Harry Potter so she couldn't be an option. Professor Snape, despite his dark past and 'evil' reputation around the school, was known to be extremely loyal to Professor Dumbledore as well and Maggie hardly thought that picking on Harry made him capable of putting Harry's life in danger. She might as well say that Draco Malfoy was responsible. That left her with Barty Crouch and Professor Moody, though she couldn't figure out why either one would want to harm Harry.

"I'm sorry what was that you said?" Maggie looked up from her transfigurations book to glance questioningly at Cedric.

"I said if you don't get your head out of the clouds, your mouse is going to run away before you can transfigure it," he pointed at the struggling small creature on her desk, who she was barely keeping a hand on.

"Gee thanks for the helpful advice," she frowned, murmuring the required incantation and waving her wand as she watched the small mouse turn into a kitten. She sighed. They had been working on animal-animal transfigurations for a few weeks and while she normally would have gotten it perfectly, being distracted was not good for such a complicated transfiguration. The mouse was supposed to change into a fully grown cat, but she had only managed a kitten and several cat/mouse hybrid creatures. She reversed it before attempting one more time, with focus, and groaning as the mouse turned into a cat with a mouse tail and ears. Cedric gave her a worried glance as he pet the top of his cat's head. Professor McGonagall, who had noticed her usual star pupil's struggles, found her way over to the pair and taking a look at the strange cat thing on Maggie's desk.

"Perhaps try over-annunciating the incantation. It might help make up for whatever else is lacking," she said gently. She watched as Magdalene successfully performed the transfiguration before she wandered to the other side of the room.

"Maggie I think you should go to bed early today," Cedric told her as they packed up to leave class.

"Thanks so much for your ever helpful advice Cedric, but I'm fine," she huffed, picking up her book bag and leaving the class without waiting for him. Cedric gave a heavy sigh, but let it be. He'd rather force her into bed later than fight with her now. At the end of the day they left for class and headed directly to the Room of Requirement without a word between the two. When they got there she was immediately in her ballet clothes, warming up yet again. Cedric gave her a pointed look.

"Maggie you need to take a break," he insisted, arms crossed and refusing to go to the piano.

"You are not the boss of me, Cedric. I have rehearsing to do. Clearly you are not as invested in this as I am. Maybe you're ready to become a Ministry yuppie like your father wants and just sit in an office for the rest of your life, but dancing has been my love and my passion for my entire life. I am not giving up on it just because you think I need a break," she ranted angrily.

"Maggie I'm not asking you to stop dancing. I'm asking you to take a nap or just sit still for a minute. You look like you're about to pass out and even our professors are beginning to notice you have no energy left. How are you supposed to do well in your audition or in your classes if you aren't functioning properly?" he tried to stay calm, knowing that arguing with her would only make her more frustrated. She was in a very fragile mental state, more so than he had realized.

"What audition? I don't have an audition date yet, because I've been waiting for you to schedule it. You promised me Cedric! You PROMISED that once you did well in the tournament you would tell your dad about New York and the auditions. You haven't done that, just like you've only barely introduced me to your father. God forbid I meet any one else in your family. How much does our relationship actually mean to you, Cedric? We've been together for months now and I love you more than anything in the world. You have changed my world. I write to my mom, you know. I tell her all about you and she can't wait to meet you at the end of the year. I've let you into my whole world, but you keep me so far out of yours!" she shouted, letting her emotions go on a rampage. "I love you so much it scares me," she added in a whisper, wrapping her arms around herself. Cedric's face fell. He rushed to her, enveloping her in his arms and squeezing tightly.

"Oh Maggie," he murmured into her hair. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I have told my father. I told him a few weeks ago in a letter. He was angry, but a few letters later he understood. That's why he was so hostile to me that time we met up for lunch in Hogsmeade. He wasn't angry with you…he was angry with me. I'm sorry it slipped my mind to tell you. With everything going on I just can't keep track of it. I'm not as organized you," he confessed. She didn't respond, but simply hid her face in his chest, sniffling. He took her to the couch and sat down with her. "Magdalene Walsh I love you," he said to her. And while he said it, he looked firmly and directly into her eyes. His words said love, but his eyes said so much more. One glance into his eyes told her that everything would be alright, told her that he was sorry, but most of all they told her that the word love was everything. He loved her, protected her, cared about her, kept her in check, dedicated himself to her, made her smile, made her cry, made her laugh; he was her everything. He was her love. She stayed silent only for a moment.

"I love you," the girl whispered, using the same tone he had. But while her words were saying love, her heart was saying I trust you and I'll follow you to the end of the earth and back. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before he felt her muscles beginning to relax and her head begin to lull.

"Maggie?" he asked quickly.

"I'm exhausted," she confessed with a grimace. She hated to admit that she'd been wrong. Cedric closed his eyes for a minute, focusing on what they needed and watched as the Room morphed itself from their dance studio into a small room with a large comfortable bed, a fireplace, and a fluffy carpet beneath their feet. He picked up Maggie and carried her to the bed, slipping her under the covers easily.

"Sleep," he commanded gently. She stuck out her tongue before laughing lightly, transfiguring her dance clothes into her comfortable pajamas and setting her wand on the night stand. She was asleep within minutes while Cedric sat on the floor, toiling away at his homework and hers as well, knowing she would sleep through the night. He debated making her move to her own bed in her common room, but that would require waking her up so instead he opted to just let her sleep and take the couch for himself. Somewhere around eleven o clock when he had finally finished both their homework and was taking his robe and shoes off, Maggie turned in her sleep, fussing a bit.

In Maggie's dreams, Cedric stood smiling before her but as she ran to him, he got farther and farther away. His expression turned sad as a flash of green light headed toward him. As if in slow motion, the light hit him as the setting changed into a dark graveyard. She screamed as Cedric fell to the ground, unmoving. She turned around to find the source of the charm, but before she could find it she was shaken awake by Cedric.

"Maggie, shhhh, it's okay. It was just a dream I promise. It's okay. I'm fine. I'm right here," he soothed her, rocking her back and forth. She wanted to argue. It wasn't just a dream. He was in danger. The tournament was dangerous, just like she had said from the beginning. But she was too tired. Already, sleep was calling her back in. He stood up once she was calm, but she grabbed his arm and held on for dear life.

"Please Cedric don't leave," she whimpered. He looked back at her, conflicted. It would be completely improper to share a bed with her. He was about to refuse, but then he remembered the panicked way she'd been calling out his name in her dream and felt her fingers wrapped tightly around his arm. He sighed in defeat and laid on the bed next to her. She curled up tightly and snuggled into his side, falling asleep almost instantly. Cedric stroked her hair until he himself fell asleep, slight smile on his face.


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: IT HASN'T BEEN A YEAR. Not quite at least. I'm so sorry it's taken this long. BUT IT'S A DOOZY. Enjoy :)**

As the sun filtered into the Room of Requirement the next morning, Cedric slipped out of the bed and Maggie's grasp. He couldn't remember sleeping so well…ever. With Maggie cuddled into his arms he had fallen asleep quickly and stayed asleep until the sun on his face woke him up. When he realized what day it was, his stomach dropped to his feet. It was the day of the final task. All he had to do was win the final task and then he could put this whole Tournament business behind him. He paced the floor a bit before summoning some breakfast and sitting on the small couch, drinking the orange juice. He was already in his champion uniform, but he couldn't seem to focus on the charms and spells they'd been practicing for months. His eyes landed directly on the sleeping redhead with the smile plastered on her lips. He grinned to himself before pulling out his wand and twirling it thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, the covers began to move and Maggie sat up, stretching her arms slowly. She yawned, scratching her head before catching sight of Cedric and giggling.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, a smile creeping onto her face.

"A gorgeous woman," he answered earnestly, sitting on the edge of the bed to give her a peck on the lips.

"You're not so bad looking yourself Mr. Champion," she answered. "Are you ready?" she whispered, gnawing on her bottom lip and already feeling her stomach twist in nerves. Cedric nodded, not wanting her to know just how nervous he actually was.

"I'm prepared, but before we face that I need to tell you something," he stopped her from getting off the bed as she had been preparing to do. She tilted her head to one side. "Maggie we are so young, but I love you so much and I know I will never let you go. From the moment you approached us on the Hogwarts Express I knew there was something incredibly special about you. You're so intelligent and beautiful and graceful and talented, but you've got the spirit of the fiercest Gryffindor. I want to be by your side forever and watch you achieve all your dreams," he told her, pressing his forehead against hers and practically breathing in her smile. She leaned in to kiss him before replying.

"And I'm going to enjoy watching you achieve all of yours, Cedric. You're as clever as any Ravenclaw and your heart is as big as Helga Hufflepuff herself," she told him, scooting closer to him.

"I'm glad you think that, because I need to know: Will you accept this promise ring?" he asked, swiftly pulling silver diamond ring from his pocket. It sparkled in the sunlight as he held it out to her. It was very simple, just a silver band with a single diamond heart. Maggie's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the ring. The smile that crossed her lips came slowly, but was a true genuine smile.

"Of course!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely. He reciprocated for a few moments before pulling away to put it on her finger.

"Of course I want to meet your parents and have you meet more of my family before I properly propose to you, but I just needed you to know that I WILL one day. When we're ready," he told her with a laugh, holding her hand and admiring the ring on her finger. It was on her middle finger, so that it wasn't easily confused with an engagement ring.

"Oh Cedric," she giggled, not able to hold in her joy. "We have to go now, though. Or you'll miss the final task," she sighed, feeling the familiar worry set in again.

"Yes I know, but now you know I'm coming back safe," he told her as they exited the Room of Requirement and slipped into the crowd of students headed for the Great Hall. They sat with his friends for breakfast, talking excitedly about the Maze Challenge, though Maggie kept quiet as the wheels in her head turned more. She knew Cedric was prepared for an ordinary challenge, but what if something went wrong? Nothing had happened to Harry Potter yet, but there had to be some reason for him being in this competition. It had caused such an uproar in the beginning and no one had seemed worried about it since, but Maggie had not forgotten. Her eyes traveled to the staff table, noting the absence of Professor Moody. He came in a few minutes later, as usual taking a swig from his personal canister instead of drinking from the ordinary cups. There seemed to be a lot of mystery surrounding Professor Moody, most of which was written off as the fact that he was an old paranoid Auror. But it didn't sit right with her. Before anyone could even blink, breakfast was over and the Champions were parting to head to their tent as the rest of the students headed down to the Quidditch Pitch.

"I love you Maggie. See you after the challenge. Then it will all be over," Cedric promised her quickly before giving her a kiss on the forehead and dashing off after Harry Potter and the other Champions. As Maggie made her way to the Quidditch pitch with her classmates she murmured to herself, trying to recall all the information she'd been looking up about Professor Moody. Her only other suspect was Barty Crouch, but he had been attacked a few weeks prior, removing him as a suspect.

"He came out of an active career as an Auror to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but he hasn't been doing a very good job. He used magic on a student as a form of punishment. He tortured a poor spider in one of the younger classes. He never drinks from anything but his little bottle. Who knows what he's actually drinking? He taught us the unforgivables for goodness sake. I mean the only people that use the unforgivable curses are-" she stopped herself, the pieces beginning to splice together. "Of course! Oh Maggie, you're so dumb," she chastised herself, changing her course for the maze. "Constantly drinks an unknown substance? Of course! It has to be Polyjuice Potion. UGH Why didn't I see that? I don't know who he actually is, but he has to be associated with You-Know-Who. Those are the only people with a vengeance out for Harry Potter. It's ridiculous. The Dark Lord is gone, but who knows what his followers would do for revenge?" she ranted on beneath her breath, picking up her pace as Ludo Bagman's voice announced the rules for the task. She practically ran in to Poppy, who was waiting nearby to help aid any students.

"Maggie! What are you doing down here? You don't belong here. You need to be up in the stands with the other students," she scolded her, turning her around.

"No Poppy you don't understand! They're in danger, all of them! I have to go stop the task," she rambled, refusing to be pushed in the other direction.

"Of course they're in danger. It's a dangerous tournament. But it's happening, so there's nothing you can do. I know you're worried about Cedric, but he'll be fine," the healer tried to soothe the frantic girl.

"No that's not it. Don't you realize how wrong this is? Harry Potter should not be in this. Someone snuck him in to harm him and they're all going to get hurt in the process. I think it might be a follower of You-Know-Who," she cried. Poppy gave her a look of shock before frowning and shaking her head.

"You're being completely irrational Maggie. You need rest. Go watch with the other students," she insisted, but Maggie refused, watching Cedric enter the maze from the corner of her eye.

"NO! I'm sorry Poppy," she whined before casting a weak blasting charm to get Madame Pomfrey away from her long enough for her to dash into the maze after Cedric.

"MS. WALSH!" she heard several voices shout, but she kept running until their voices were drowned out by the eerie silence within the maze. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, turning around only to realize she was completely lost. She heard nothing, not even the wind rippling through the vines that climbed the high maze walls. Following the simple trick to any maze, she stuck her hand on the right side and began to travel, following the long and complicated path. She jogged for a few minutes, ears peeled for any sound that Cedric or any of the other competitors might be making in distress. The lack of obstacles was beginning to make her uneasy until a shrieking sound pierced the air, followed by the intense flutter of small wings. Maggie turned her head wildly, spotting a swarm of Cornish pixies due north. One reached in and grabbed her hair before she had time to blink.

"Immobulus!" she shouted, brandishing her wand at the crowd. The mass of pixies froze, floating in the air, but the one attached to her curl kept yanking and tugging and scratching at her face. Panicking as she winced in pain, she pointed her wand at the creature and whispered "Rictusempra" before it doubled over in what she assumed was laughter, holding its stomach as it rolled around.

Shaking her head, Maggie continued on. She approached a swirling gray mist, stationary in its place. Her steps halted as she stared at it, wondering what objects may lie within it. She did a reveal spell, only to find that no creatures or humans were waiting to attack within the mist. There was very little chance that she could cancel the incantation; Dumbledore would have been too smart to leave his enchantments unprotected. With a smile, she realized that Dumbledore had not created the course…Ludo Bagman had.

"Finite Incantatum" she announced. The mist dissipated before her eyes. She surged forward, only the rustling of leaves filling her ears as she ran full speed. Without warning a high pitched scream filled the air. Maggie sucked a breath of air in sharply, holding it for a moment until the scream ended and a red flare filled the sky. Releasing the breath she reasoned that it was much too high of a sound to be Cedric. Either way, with the flare whoever was in trouble would be helped and escorted out of the maze. One down, three to go until they were all safe. Suddenly a beam of fire shot past her; whirling around she faced a giant Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"Bloody hell," she murmured as she dodged its flames nimbly. If ballet had prepared her for anything, it was staying light on her feet. She knew that any charm or spell she sent flying at the Skrewt would only be rebounded back toward her if she didn't hit just the right spot. It had to be something fleshy and unprotected by the hard outer shell. She conjured a pair of cymbals and enchanted them to start smashing near the Skrewt, which made it blink and squeal. Maggie quickly seized the opportunity and dove underneath the Skrewt shouting "STUPEFY" as she slid on the ground. She made it out from underneath the Skrewt just as it crumpled to the ground.

but as she approached a dead end, she heard footsteps from behind her. She whirred around only to see Viktor Krum walking towards her.

"Oh Viktor it's only you! Listen, you have to forfeit the competition. I know you want to win, but you're in terrible danger. No one is going to win, you're only going to get hurt. Please, Viktor, for Cho," Maggie begged, amazed at how easily the words flowed from her mouth. Much to her surprise, he did not immediately respond to her words. She knew any of the champions would resist her plea, especially Viktor because he was arguably the most competitive of the four. Still, she expected some kind of response from him and yet he only stared at her, eyes almost hollow and expression blank.

"Viktor?" he lifted his wand suddenly, before Maggie had time to even flinch.

"CRUCIO!" he shouted. Maggie couldn't even process it before her world exploded in pain. She collapsed to the ground, letting out a blood curdling scream. Every cell in her body felt like it was burning, exploding, ripping itself apart. On and on her screams went until her voice was hoarse and all she could manage was a quiet whimper.

When the scream was unleashed, it was heard throughout the maze and even outside of it. Ludo Bagman had stopped commentating when the young redhead had run into the maze after the Champions. Dumbledore had pulled him into a hot debate between the headmasters and the nurse, Pomfrey.

"Albus it's too dangerous! We have to stop this now. Magdalene is completely unprepared. She's not a Champion!"

"All due respect, Madame Pomfrey, the girl put herself in danger. We cannot be held responsible for her actions. You said she was a 7th year? So she is an adult," Madame Maxime argued.

"That's hogswallop! Legal adult or not, she is a child and I have sworm an oath of protection to our students. I argued against this tournament in the first place. It's bad enough you've got Potter competing. Stop this nonsense Albus, I beg of you," Poppy pleaded.

"My hands are tied, Poppy. I cannot control the tournament. It must be completed and will only end when the Trophy is captured," Dumbledore rubbed his temples, deep in thought. The sparkle he often got in his blue eyes was dimmed. The situation too grievous for any mischief.

"Even if you could stop it, how is that fair to our students who have worked so hard? I am beginning to think this is a trick so that Viktor will not beat your Champions. First the whole mess with Harry Potter and now this," Igor Karkaroff growled. Poppy's eyes widened and her cheeks turned a vibrant pink.

"Now, now Karkaroff. We are all being sportsman-like here," Bagman placed his hands out in an offering of peace. "As Albus said, when the trophy is removed from the stand a bell will sound and the winner will be shown on that screen. It's then that we will each take a side and start to disenchant the maze. The non-winners will be safe. There's nothing in there that you wouldn't be able to treat Madame Pomfrey," he tried to soothe her. Before anyone could retort a female scream rang through the noise of the crowd. A collective gasp was heard and Poppy snapped her head back to look at Fleur who was still sound asleep in the medical tent. It lasted only for a few moments before the sound disappeared completely, leaving behind an eerie silence that hung in the air like a thick fog.

"Albus please!" she grabbed at his arms, but he gave a solemn shake of the head and led her back to the medical tent.

Somewhere in the maze Cedric had found another cloud of mist which he was running into. A female voice pierced the air, penetrating his ears with agony. Cedric frowned; the voice sounded so familiar, but he knew that Fleur had already been taken out of the maze. When the screaming stopped, he shook his head—trying to rid his ears of the haunting noise. He brushed it off as a side effect of the mist and continued on, wanting to be done so he could get back to Maggie. He knew how worried she'd been and he could only imagine how relieved she'd be when it was all behind them.

Harry was running, having just faced a boggart, when he heard the scream. It sounded so close that he kept running. Even after the scream ended, he continued until the quiet sound of whimpers could be heard. As he rounded the corner, wand at the ready, he saw an unfamiliar form crumpled on the ground and Viktor Krum standing above it, wand pointed.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted before Viktor had time to notice his presence. Viktor fell and the small figure stopped whimpering and trembling. Instead a small sob could be heard and the sharp intake of breaths.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, approaching cautiously. He wasn't sure if this was some sort of test, or if this person was truly in need of help. Maggie took a moment to collect her thoughts before pushing herself off the ground. Her legs were wobbly and her head still spinning, but she knew she had to keep going. She had to warn Cedric. She took a step forward and stumbled slightly, only to be steadied by Harry.

"Magdalene?" he asked as he brushed her hair out of her face. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to warn you," she said softly, steadying herself and starting back in the direction she had been going. Harry turned to Cedric and sent up a flare so he would be found before following her. "Someone put you in this competition to hurt you and I think it was Professor Moody."

"What? But he's done nothing to hurt me. In fact he's gone out of his way to help me get this far!"

"Exactly. So that you would win, so you would be the first one to get to the Trophy. He's connected to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named I just know it!"

"Voldemort? What are you talking about? He's gone," Harry argued.

"There were a lot of followers of his that didn't get locked up in Azkaban because of inconsistencies in the trials. Do you know what Polyjuice Potion is?" she paused, a dementor in her path.

"Ridikkulus," she flicked her wand, sending the boggart away.

"Yeah…wait how did you figure out that wasn't a real dementor so easily?"

"Dementors are always followed by cold and ice. I believe Professor Moody is not who he says he is. I think he must be a Death Eater under the influence of Polyjuice potion," she explained.

"So how do you intent to stop him?" Harry asked.

"Stop him? That's nothing something we can do. Let Professor Dumbledore handle it. I just want everyone safe," she frowned. "It's not your job to save the world, Harry, even if people may act like it is. You owe them nothing," she told him. Before he could respond their path was blocked by a giant Sphinx.

"Ah the young Champion and his sidekick. I have been expecting you," the woman purred, her voice so cat-like Harry couldn't see why she had a human head anyway.

"Can we pass?"

"Not until you answer my riddle. I will let your friend pass with you, but she must not offer any help. She is far too clever for any riddle. A witch from the house of Rowena Ravenclaw…a riddle would pose no challenge for you," the Sphinx looked at Maggie who cast her eyes down and agreed to bite her tongue.

"First think of the person who lives in disguise,

Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.

Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,

The middle of middle and end of the end?

And finally give me the sound often heard

During the search for the hard-to-find word.

Now string them together, and answer me this,

Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"

The words whirred through Maggies mind easily. She had solved hundreds of riddles in her seven years at Hogwarts, most of them simply to entire the Ravenclaw Common Room. The answer was simple and clear, though Harry struggled greatly. Maggie bit her tongue hard to keep from blurting out the answer, which was surprisingly more difficult than she thought. Harry kept having the riddle repeated again and again until finally he looked up with the face of a man who finally understands.

"A spider!" he yelled triumphantly. The Sphinx gave a smile and stepped away. As soon as she had cleared their path, they took off running through the maze only to come upon an Acromantula which was at least the size of a small house. There, fighting beneath it, was Cedric. Scratched and dirty, but alive. Harry sprung into action immediately, shouting various spells an dhexes at it. As Cedric rolled away from its pinchers his eyes met Maggie's. He froze and the world seemed to slow as his heartbeat accelerated. He opened his mouth to shout at her, but found himself almost crushed by a leg instead. Harry shouted something at him, but he didn't hear. He marched up to Maggie and pulled her towards him.

"What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"

"Isn't that what I've been trying to tell you for months? Anyway now's not the best time to have this argument!" she fired back in return as they dove away from the spider's attack. While she and Harry distracted it, Cedric dove underneath it and stunned its soft, fleshy underside. As it began to fall, Harry reached under and pulled him out. The three took a moment to breath before quickly leaving the beast. Three turns later and the golden Trophy was in sight.

"Don't touch it!" Maggie grabbed Cedric and pulled him back. She quickly repeated her theories to him and though he seemed skeptical, he agreed to play it safe.

"So what do you propose we do with it then?" Harry asked, circling the trophy.

"I promose you take it," a voice snarled as an unfamiliar figure, draped in Professor Moody's signature leather jacket, made his way toward the trophy.

Time slowed as the three students exchanged worried glances. Before Maggie could think, the trophy came flying off the stand and into Harry's hands. As it began to glow Cedric took hold of it as well, but Maggie wasn't close enough to grab hold. She raised her wand and aimed it at Cedric's hand. "STUPEFY!" but they were gone in an instant.

"Cedric!" she screamed, falling to her knees.

"He won't be coming back alive, little girl," the stranger murmured as he approached Maggie.

"You don't know Cedric. He doesn't break his promises," the redhead's glare burned into him as she stood.

"Too bad you won't be alive to check and see," he growled. Maggie readied herself and placed her wand at the ready. "You can't duel me! I fight for the Dark Lord. I have powers you could never dream of you insignificant child," he snarled, firing an unnamed spell at her which she easily deflected with a shield.

"Well I fight for love which is a power your so called Lord will never know," she sneered, firing her own curse at him. She used all the harmless curses and hexes she knew: Expelliarmus, Stupefy, Rictumsempra, and the like, but he dodged them all easily, darting back and forth. He was in constant motion, like a snake. Maggie had knowledge of complex spells, but she had no dueling skills and very little aim on a moving target. They battled back and forth, Maggie being the only one to take a few hits. A few cutting curses and the Cruciatus Curse, but she kept fighting back.

When the trophy was removed from its place, the screen outside the maze lit up, showing the empty stand and no champion. The crowd gasped as the Headmasters began to flurry in panic. A figure darted across the screen, too quick to be recognized as the Hogwarts professors began to swiftly dismantle the maze and all its enchantments. Just then, a small red-headed girl appeared on the screen. The crowd watched in horror as the girl fell to her knees. She got up after a few moments and fired a few spells before disappearing off the screen once more. Madame Pomfrey locked eyes with Professor Dumbledore, her expression slated with panic as she joined in taking down the maze. In the stands, Amos Diggory was shoving his way down to the front. His son missing and now the sweet Magdalene in some sort of dangerous duel. If Cedric weren't already graduating, he would pull his son out of Hogwarts faster than you can say Champion. When he finally reached the edge, he yelled for Albus over and over again, but he heard nothing.

With the maze slowly disappearing, Maggie knew all she had to do was hold the man off for another minute at most. She racked her brain for anything she could use, but found nothing. As the walls surrounding them began to shrink Maggie made her last attempt to catch the villain, but as she raised her wand he flashed a smile at her, a sparkle in his eye that made her want to throw up.

"Serpensortia!" he hissed as a snake—immediately recognizable as a King Cobra—appeared. It came flying through the air at her and without hesitation sank its fangs into her right shoulder. Just then the walls came down and the unidentified man fell at Dumbledore's hand. Maggie's knees crumpled beneath her as she wrenched the snake from her body, disposing of it with a quick "reducto". Poppy rushed forward, her arms instantly wrapping around the young girl. As Dumbledore and the other professors dealt with the man now identified as Barty Crouch Jr Madame Promfrey assisted Maggie to the hospital tent.

"Come on, that's it," she murmured, placing a hand behind Maggie's back to move her forward quickly. She didn't have a clue about the extent of the girl's injuries, but knew she was bleeding profusely in several places and was already feverish. As they reached the tent where Fleur and Viktor were already recovering, a flash of light accompanied by a loud clonk shocked the now frantic stadium. There stood Harry James Potter, Triwizard Cup clenched in one hand and the hand of Cedric Diggory clasped in his other. Cedric was limp, laying on the ground with eyes wide open. Maggie found his unresponsive gaze and stopped moving toward the tent. The pain of the Crucio curse and the pain of the Cobra venom seeping into her veins was nothing compared to the searing hot pain that sliced through her heart.

"My son! That's my boy! My BOY!" came a gut wrenching scream from the stands. Amos Diggory propelled himself over the edge of the stands and ran to Cedric, falling to the ground at the boys head and cradling it in his lap.

"No," Maggie whispered, shoving herself away from Poppy as she too ran to the fallen Champion's side. Her vision was blurred and her head had not stopped spinning, but she forced her eyes to focus on his face as she placed her hands on either side of his face.

"I don't know what happened. We were separated…I tried to save him. I'm sorry I don't know," Harry stumbled through his words, gasping in pain and refusing to leave Cedric's side.

"What happened, Harry?" Dumbledore demanded, pulling him off Cedric.

"He's back. Voldemort's back. He's back and I don't know what he's done. Cedric was like this when we got there, but I couldn't leave him there. Not there, I couldn't leave him," Harry cried.

"It's alright Harry. You're alright. It's alright. You're here and he's here."

"No," Maggie repeated, with more volume. "NO. You promised me," she turned her glare on Dumbledore. "You promised me that he would be alright! I tried to tell you, to tell you all and you wouldn't listen. You knew this wasn't safe, ALL of you!" she cried, clenching Cedric's face and placing a forceful kiss on his lips. She noticed then that there was a slight breath in his mouth. "Stop, stop!" she yelled at Ludo Bagman, who was helping Minister Fudge lift Cedric's body to be moved.

"He's not dead, he's not. He's breathing. Don't touch him!"

"Miss I'm sorry he must be moved. The people they're beginning to panic," Fudge stammered.

"She's right though, I'm not dead. Blimey Maggie you have one hell of a stunning curse though," Cedric coughed as he tried to sit up, despite the several people hovering around him. Amos gave a shout of joy before embracing his son completely. Maggie smiled widely before she slowly felt the effects of the adrenaline wear off and the effects of the venom take their place once more. Her smile slowly melted into a frown, which Cedric saw right away.

"Maggie, what is it? Maggie?"

His voice grew more distant as his image grew more blurry. Maggie realized she'd fallen completely to the ground, unable to move her body any longer. She knew this would happen. _Cobra venom targets the central nervous system, Maggie, _she chided herself. First it had affected her vision and senses, now it had moved onto paralysis and soon it would be coma and respiratory failure if she was not given antivenom. All she wanted to do was hug Cedric and kiss him and tell him she was so sorry for getting in the way, for messing everything up, but all she could do was let her eyes fall closed.


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: So I just want you lovely folks and faithful readers to know that I appreciate all your support so much! I had originally planned to do an epilogue for this story to sum up the future, but I've decided to leave it open. Perhaps open for a sequel down the line (probably not though, so don't get your hopes up). So that means this is it! We have made it to the final chapter. Blood, sweat, and tears later. This fic is my pride and joy. The highest quality writing of all my fics and it was my original all Harry Potter fic. Thanks everyone for taking the ride with me. I'm sorry it took so long for such a short fic but I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it! On to our last chapter…**

_Previously…_

_Her smile slowly melted into a frown, which Cedric saw right away._

"_Maggie, what is it? Maggie?" _

_His voice grew more distant as his image grew more blurry. Maggie realized she'd fallen completely to the ground, unable to move her body any longer. She knew this would happen. Cobra venom targets the central nervous system, Maggie, she chided herself. First it had affected her vision and senses, now it had moved onto paralysis and soon it would be coma and respiratory failure if she was not given antivenom. All she wanted to do was hug Cedric and kiss him and tell him she was so sorry for getting in the way, for messing everything up, but all she could do was let her eyes fall closed._

"Maggie? Mags? MAGDALENE?" Cedric sat himself up fully, feeling the panic rise in him as he felt her neck for a pulse. She had just been holding him, smiling at him. Sure she had looked pretty banged up, but she had been very much alive.

"Please Mr. Diggory you must let me do my job," Poppy all but wailed, shoving the boy off. Amos pulled him up and off the ground, wrapping his arms around the lanky boy.

"Cedric I was so worried. I'm sorry for pressuring you into this, I'm so sorry," he cried, pressing his cheek against his sons. He kept apologizing over and over, but Cedric could not find it in his heart to listen. He wasn't angry at his father. No one could have predicted The Dark Lord's involvement. Cedric's eyes did not leave Maggie's form as she was levitated into the hospital tent.

Madame Pomfrey set to work immediately cleaning up the blood and pouring essence of dittany into the deeper wounds. The shallow wounds would heal on their own and with the help of the dittany, the deeper ones shouldn't scar. Poppy breathed a sigh of relief, but it caught in her throat as she cleaned off the young witch's shoulder.

"Albus," she beckoned the Headmaster over. "This is a snake bite, most likely venomous. It's shutting down her body, but I don't know what snake it was. I can't prepare an antiserum without knowing what is in the venom," She took a deep breath, attempting to stay calm. She had been trained for emergencies, but had never been this emotionally invested nor unprepared in a situation. Her love for this young girl ran deep. Although Maggie had two loving parents to care for her, being at Hogwarts was almost like living a second life. Poppy had helped through all of it and Poppy could not imagine losing the brave girl she had come to love.

Cedric finally broke away from his father and shoved past the teachers guarding the hospital tent from the throng of terrified onlookers, among which was Maggie's mother. Her red curls stood out as she fought against the crowd. She had been seated in the back of the stands, having only been at the tournament to support Maggie. Maggie had begged and begged her to visit throughout the year to meet the boy Cedric she so often spoke of. Well Mrs. Walsh (or Siobhan as she liked to be called) ad finally managed to clear a spot in her schedule to come visit. She planned on surprising Maggie, but instead wound up witnessing her daughter almost get killed. She was pulling her new husband, Jeffrey, along with her. Jeffrey (despite being a pureblood wizard) was a lawyer in the Muggle world and assured his wife that he would take action against the school and the ministry if her daughter did not make a perfect recovery. Neither of them refused to think of the possibility that she may not survive. As she fought her way down the stands, Cedric pleaded with Dumbledore.

"Please Professor Dumbledore! She saved my life. There must be something you can do to save hers. I'll do anything it takes," Cedric grasped onto Maggie's hands, eyes locked with the blue orbs that peeked over the half-moon spectacles.

"Mr. Diggory I'm afraid there's not much we can do. I have only one option and I'm not sure it will work, but of course we will try," he spoke kindly, but with no sugar coating. Momentarily he let out a loud whistle. The beads of sweat on Maggie's forehead glistened as her breaths became more and more shallow. The seconds passed like years, but not more than a minute later Fawkes descended into the tent. She settled herself on Cedric's shoulder, aiming a few tear drops directly onto the snake bite. Silence held among the group of tense visitors until the wound began to close and the color returned to the girl's cheeks. Poppy let out a sigh of relief and Cedric released her hand, stroking her hair livingly instead.

"So she'll be alright then?" Cedric asked, eyeing Dumbledore warily.

"She will live. Mr. Diggory, I highly advise you to be cautious. We don't know what young Magdalene endured tonight. She may be just fine, but she may also retain some emotional trauma. I know the Cruciatus Curse was used several times this evening, but I have no way of knowing what Barty Jr. may have used in their duel, nor what she may have used to fight him. Let her rest and recover before pushing her to return to the way things were," Madame Pomfrey advised as she made preparations to move Maggie to the infirmary. As Dumbledore began to leave the tent, he was shoved into by a small woman with a fire in her eyes.

"JUST WHAT KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE RUNNING HERE?" she shouted. A tall, burly man with neat brown hair and a suit and tie on followed behind her, taking a gentle hold of her shoulders, yet sending Dumbledore a threatening glance.

"I'm sorry Madame, but we'll have to take this business outside. This is a place of healing-

"LIKE HELL I'M LEAVING MY DAUGHER!"

"Siobhan, please, let the Headmaster explain himself," her husband pleaded softly, but a sharp look from her shut his mouth immediately.

"You must be Siobhan Walsh, Magdalene's mother," Madame Pomfrey interrupted the conversation, holding her hand out. "My name is Poppy Pomfrey. I'm the nurse here at school and have come to know your daughter well. Despite our attempts to restrict her, Magdalene ran into the maze tonight after the Champions. She knew it broke many rules, put in place for the safety of our students, but she was convinced that something was not right tonight. We are all fools to have doubted such a brilliant girl. She was not following a hunch, but a well thought out and researched hypothesis. She was right and we owe her and all our parents and students a great apology. We are very lucky that no one was greatly wounded or worse," at that she sombered and looked at the ground. Siobhan held back a sob, going to her daughter on the cot who rested peacefully.

"She will make a full recovery, medically speaking. We're not sure how she will feel emotionally when she wakes, but physically she is healing already and should be back to normal in a few days time," Poppy murmured softly, placing a comforting hand on the mother's shoulder.

Jeffrey took this time to pull Dumbledore outside of the tent and discuss the liability his school and the entire UK Ministry was in. Amos joined them to threated Dumbledore with a petition to have him removed as Headmaster. He had allowed this Tournament to take place and it almost cost both of them their children (to which Jeffrey corrected "step-daughter".)

"Excuse me, you're Maggie's mum?" Cedric approached the woman carefully. Red hair and green eyes aside, he would have known it was Mrs. Walsh by her temper and the way she shouted. It was the same way Maggie shouted when she was feeling particularly worked up. Her face would turn pink and her arms would flail. He found it adorable on Maggie, but absolutely terrifying on her mother. Siobhan sucked in a breath, having thought she was alone, before turning to observe the boy.

"You must be Cedric," she whispered, recognizing the hair that her daughter had so carefully described in her letters.

"How did you know?" Cedric rubbed a hand behind his neck, sending her a shy half-smile. Maggie's mother returned his grin full force.

"She writes to me almost daily and she's been writing about you all year. I think I'd recognize your tossled chestnut hair anywhere," she teased him, mocking her daughter's words. Cedric's face burned as he chuckled lightly.

"I care about your daughter very much. I'm so sorry there wasn't more I could do to protect her. I never expected her to run in the maze after me. I tried to tell her that I couldn't opt out of the competition. It's a bind created when you are selected by the cup, no breaking it-

"Cedric, it's alright. I don't blame you and I know my daughter doesn't either. You're just children. It's the school's responsibility to keep you safe and healthy. Look at you both, scratched up with memories no seventeen year old should experience," Siobhan chided the school, while trying to keep her temper cool around the young wizard.

"All due respect, Mrs. Walsh, we're not children. We'll be graduated in a month and Maggie and I fully intend to follow our passions. She believes they'll lead us to the United States when fall comes around. I've arranged for us to audition for an American university…Julliard I think? There are a surprising number of magical folk on the admissions board there, so I think we have a good shot of getting in," Cedric explained. Siobhan sighed, rolling her eyes as she twirled one of Maggie's curls in her fingers.

"Maggie always knew she wouldn't be around here long. I just never expected her to go through with it. I figured she wouldn't be able to go without someone else to go with. My ex-husband's over there, but he's never been that close with Maggie. She visits, but never spends any time with him. He's just busy and not very emotionally invested. I guess you can imagine why we didn't stay married," Mrs. Walsh rambled on. Cedric assumed it was because she was stressed and relieved at the same time and just looking for someone to talk to. Siobhan knew if she stopped talking, she would start crying, and she did not want to look weak in front of Dumbledore.

"Anyway I guess I should thank you for loving her enough to go with her. It's a huge move and I'm sure your father wasn't happy about it. I just know how miserable she'd be staying around here, and how miserable she would be going out there alone. This way, she won't be alone or stuck here," Siobhan gave Cedric a nod of gratitude before turning her full attention back toward her daughter, who now looked peaceful in her slumber, a small smile resting on her lips.

The next morning Maggie awoke in the familiar Infirmary. As she blinked slowly, she took in the white curtains and her end table, covered in beautiful flowers and a few cards. Her mother slept in a chair beside her. With a squeak of surprise, she woke her mother. She had gotten so wrapped up in the adventure and danger of this year, she'd forgotten what it was like to be with her mother.

"Oh my sweetheart!" her mother exclaimed, embracing her in a warm hug. As Maggie smelled her mum's jumper, her face lit with joy. She still smelled like warm milk and ginger snaps. It was a scent that always reminded Maggie of Christmas, her favorite holiday. Her mother smelled like Christmas all year round.

"Baby, I thought I'd never see you again. Don't you dare ever do anything stupid like that again! You're my smart daughter, remember?" her mother half-teased.

"I'm your only daughter," Maggie giggled, leaning her head against her mother's shoulder. Despite some overall soreness and a sharp pain in her shoulder, Maggie felt fine and wondered how long they would keep her.

"Now about this boy I'm supposed to approve of?" a sneaky smile slid onto Siobhan's face. Maggie panicked, her brows knotting up in worry.

"Cedric? Is he alright, where is he?" she moved to get out of bed, but Poppy appeared and gently pushed her back down.

"Magdalene please! Stay in bed. You've undergone so much and you're still healing. You must rest here for at least one more night. Cedric is fine. He's having breakfast with his father after we practically forced him to go clean up and eat something before returning. He should be back any moment, probably chomping at the bit to return to your side," Poppy smiled. She didn't need a grand reunion with Maggie. Maggie gave her a strong hug before nodding her agreement and settling back into the bed.

"Anyway…I think he is a kind young man. I hope you know how dangerous it is to plan a life with someone so young, though," a touch of worry met Siobhan's eyes as she took her daughter's hand gently. "Learn from my mistakes, eh love?"

"Of course Mum," Maggie nodded, relaxing back into her pillow as the curtains parted to reveal a freshly showered, but anxious Cedric. His eyes scanned the bed quickly, finding Maggie's and locking on. Once again, brown met emerald and his face lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"Oh Maggie! Thank god you're alright," he rushed to the chair on the other side of her bed, taking one hand in both of his and placing a kiss on it gently.

"Didn't think you could get rid of me that easy, did ya?" Maggie smiled back, leaning forward to place a kiss on his lips instead. His grin widened, scooting closer to her and leaning his forehead against her.

"Don't scare me like that again!" he whispered fiercely.

"Did you talk to my mother? She said the exact same thing!"

"Maggie…"

"I promise Cedric. But you have to promise the same. I thought I lost you back there," she whispered. He nodded wordlessly and kissed her firmly once more, to remind himself that she was there. Siobhan had excused herself to give the two a private reunion, but their comfortable silence didn't last long as Amos wandered into the area.

"Young Maggie…there are no words to express my gratitude to you. You single handedly saved my boy's life," he placed a hand on her shoulder, taking the seat that her mother had previously occupied.

"No words needed, sir. I would do it over again even knowing the consequences. I couldn't live without him," she told him solemnly.

"There will be no again," Amos said firmly. "Your step father and I have made certain that the Tri-Wizard Tournament is forever banned from this jurisdiction. We could not control the other schools, but urged their parents to follow suit. No students will be put in this level of danger again. School is a place for learning, not fighting for your life."

"Thank you, Mr. Diggory," Maggie smiled gratefully.

"None of this formal nonsense!" Amos waved his arms dismissively. "Please call me Dad." Maggie froze, looking back and forth between Cedric and his father. Cedric looked shocked, but after a moment to compose himself, smiled widely at his father. With that, Maggie grinned as well.

"Thank you, Dad."

"I will be proud to call you my daughter in-law," he pressed a kiss to her cheek before leaving the two young adults alone.

"So you told him about New York?"

"Yes," Cedric confirmed, tracing circles around the back of Maggie's hand with his thumb. "And Maggie?"

"Yes?"

"Your Julliard audition is in 2 weeks. The day after mine. After that we'll have to wait a few weeks to hear whether we were accepted or not, and then we can move forward," Cedric told her. He watched the delight travel from her mouth to her eyes.

"You arranged all that?!" she exclaimed.

"It was supposed to be a graduation gift, but I decided that I don't like secrets, even if they're meant to be pleasant surprises."

"Thank you," Maggie murmured. "And you're right. No more secrets and no more silence," she vowed. Her silence had been filled by his music and continued to be forevermore.

**Additional Author's Note: So that's it! We did it. YES. Congratulations for making it to the end. Leave a review and keep an eye out for my other works!**


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